Album Review: The Cimmerian - An Age Undreamed Of
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
If every album I review in 2025 is as good as this one, then the metal world is in for one hell of a year. Hot on the heels of my Album of the Year from The Gates of Slumber, Los Angeles based doom/thrash trio The Cimmerian are ready to cause your ears some serious damage, as they hit not just hard, but very, very hard!
If you’re not getting some sort of strange feeling rousing throughout your body when you hear opening song “Shadow Kingdom” then you simply aren’t enjoying life enough, as this instrumental track is setting the scene for what you are about to receive, and it will satisfy all appetites.
One part of me wishes that they’d called the second number “Neck Breaker” and left off the “of the Mountain” part as it’s an explosive noise of high energy with bass and vocalist Nicolas Rocha in full flow. The guitars from David Gein are also excellent, containing a riff that will hurt a lot of necks when people hear this, as the headbanging is going to be immense.
With lyrical themes “informed by a deep understanding of world history, mythology and historical literature” the band have produced an album full of excellence, which should be applauded as such. “Silver and Gold” is a behemoth of a song, all 8 and a half minutes of it, and you’ll find yourself being immersed in their world of chaos and mayhem.
It’s hard to believe that this is their first album, as it’s been put together exceptionally well, and it is the first one to go on my 2025 AOTY contender list. With tracks like “DarkWolf” and the superb “Mournblade” you will find songs that will take you off to medieval places of yore and yonder, as their story telling prowess is in full operation. With thunderous drumming from David Morales, you can also hear the kick drum clearly which is a thing of beauty in my eyes, and it complements the fuzz-filled riffs from Gein.
With “Black Coast Tigris” they continue the aural assault as there is no let up from the trio, and they’ve set an incredibly high bar for themselves. The composition is simple yet decisive, whilst showing diversity in each track, which is great to see, with all three members having their turn in the spotlight but working together effectively and efficiently. This is one of those albums that you don’t want to stop, so it’s great that we get another song, “Deathstalker” of nearly eight minutes in length so that you can rejoice in its splendour. This is probably my favourite track, with several tempo changes, bass licks galore and an intensity that will take some rivalling this year.
With “Monarch” bringing up the rear, it’s another mammoth song, over ten minutes of doomy gloomy goodness, where you can just sit back and take it all in. And in some ways, be thankful to the band for existing and producing songs that will enthral and excite people. It gives another example of their musical talent and will set a few tongues wagging and they are a band who will be on everyone’s lips this year.
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