There are many, many doom metal bands these days. Many of them good but many others -- sort of the same with black metal -- are these fake, pop-wannabes ruining the whole genre. Now, if there is one new act that has managed to introduce a sense of melody to the sound without trying too hard to sound nice, that would be Pilgrim. Pilgrim have been among the most original bands of the revived scene and their latest offering, "Misery Wizard" is no exception. To explain their sound, is to talk of a more symphonic, progressive version of the Vitus sound (think Cathedral), with some Candlemass on top of it. There's barely any hurry in the songwriting and so the songs are slow-burners; something similar to Burning Witch, rather than Weedeater or EHG's more drug-like usage of the riff; but with more tendency towards moving on to new sonic areas, in contrast to Burning Witch. All things considered, the record is a classic, and I don't mean that in a general way, but precisely in the sense that it is one yet to be topped by none other than Pilgrim, for it is their own and only mark in doom metal.
