Shape of Despair – Angels of Distress (2001) (Review/Pete)

Angels of Distress is a true Funeral Doom masterpiece from Finland – five songs, almost 55 minutes of total runtime, and every single minute feels like a slow, crushing descent into deep melancholy.

To me, this is music for people who are into depressive, heavy and truly dark atmospheres. I remember reading a review back in the day where the writer said he had never heard anything like this before – and I could agree 100%. This album is slow, massive and overwhelming in the best possible way.

The combination of deep growls and clear female vocals never feels poppy or kitschy. Everything stays heavy, serious and emotionally intense. Add to that the orchestral keyboard layers, extremely slow tempos and long, carrying melodic lines. The monotony is part of the experience here – it never gets boring, it becomes hypnotic.

These songs take their time. Nothing is rushed. Everything unfolds painfully slow, demanding full attention from the listener. This is not background music – it requires focus.

For me, Angels of Distress feels like the soundtrack to an apocalyptic movie: empty, hopeless, beautiful and brutally honest at the same time.