Yob have such an intense cult following that discussing their music almost seems redundant. Oregon's favourite doom metal sons have been have been inflicting their sonic nightmares upon unsuspecting ears for more than a decade now, sending some running for cover and drawing others in in spite of their fearsome sound. Their latest record carries the lofty title of Clearing The Path To Ascend and it works hard to live up to that name. It is an album that, through layers of punishing grind and mountainous riffing, is shooting for transcendence.
This is the band's first release under Neurot Records (curated by the legendary Neurosis) and it seems that trading labels hasn't weakened the band's approach one iota. The records consists of just four tracks, each running somewhere between 11 and 18 minutes in length. But these are more than just “songs” - they are epic, multi-part compositions that blend, blur, and bleed through one another. Keeping track of where one song ends and the next begins is pointless. You are better off just letting go and allowing the music to carry you away.
The real treat here is the show-stopping closing track 'Marrow'. On this song Yob are able to inject some tranquility to battle their own ferocious nature. For once Mike Scheidt's voice isn't completely buried at the bottom of the mix and he begins to realise his melodic potential. It is emotive, rousing, and one of the best tracks the band has ever made. It appears as though Yob have finally managed to make an album where the atmosphere and their elemental heaviness are working towards a common goal. If enjoy the sensation of being physically crushed to death by music then Clearing The Path To Ascend might well be your perfect listening experience in 2014.
