Just prior to parting ways with death metal legends Incantation for the last time, former front man Craig Pillard joined forces with fellow former Incantation band mates Ronnie Deo and Jim Roe to create a pure doom metal band named Womb. This line-up recorded a five track demo before changing musical direction, adding ex-Rotting Corpse/Bloodthrone guitarist Mike Boyce and recording a three song demo using the new name Disciples Of Mockery. Contained on this split CD are the aforementioned demos in their entirety.

The album starts out with the sonic bomb of crushing doom and despair known as Womb. The music is unlike anything the trio recorded in their time with Incantation and will definitely surprise a lot of people expecting a Mortal Throne Of Nazarene part 2. The music is slow, emotive and depressingly dark. This is the kind of music you’d toss in the stereo after a long hard day of work and just sit back, relax and let the cold darkness encompass you.

Included are Craig’s patented sickening snarls and wails with thick heavy riffs and slow, methodical drumming. This isn’t your typical New Orleans doom; this is something more sinister and infinitely more compelling.

As I’ve never been a fan of doom metal in the past, I have to admit I was surprised by how much I got into Womb’s half of the split, but, honestly, would you expect anything bad from a band whose line-up is, in essence, a post-Incantation side-project?

The second half of the split is by the Incantation-flavoured Disciples Of Mockery, which, unfortunately, is no where near as thick, crushing and punishing as their eventual (and only) full length offering Prelude To Apocalypse. The material on this effort is a mix of early Incantation mixed with early 90s thrashing black metal, which often comes across as uninspired and boring, whereas the full length was easily one of the greatest dark death metal efforts ever recorded.

There are a few Incantation-like doom segments on these tracks, but the overall sound quality is pretty awful and actually distracts from the music a great deal. Being as it was just a demo recording it should come as no surprise that the production isn’t top notch, but even for a demo it’s quite poor.

This album is absolutely worth owning for the Womb tracks alone. Unfortunately the Disciples Of Mockery tracks just don’t cut it; however, Prelude To Apocalypse is a must-own piece of devastating dark death metal. If you’re into crushing heavy doom, pick up this album; otherwise just pick up the Disciples Of Mockery full length. You won’t be disappointed by either purchase.

Written By: Teufel