They may have begun life as a fairly straightforward doom band, but over the course of four albums, they’ve evolved significantly to arrive at their fifth, ‘Maleficia Lamiah’. Amon Duul II, Pink Floyd and Caravan may not be reference points for a band primarily associated with doom metal, but across the two lengthy tracks featured on ‘Maleficia Lamiah’, Pombagira really push the boundaries of genre, expanding into the divers territories of experimental, psychedelic, down-tuned, mind-expanding music.
Although the two cuts on ‘Maleficia Lamiah’ are both lighter and shorter than the 42-minute single-track dronefest that was the awesome ‘Iconoclast Dream’, it’s no skip through the woods. The 19-minute title track is overtly proggy, and even features some quite delicate, almost jazzy patches, featuring some clean guitar and extremely deft drumming and light-handed cymbal work. The vocals, too, are surprisingly melodic. But this is no self-satisfied beards and jumpers muso-doodling. Nor is it some meandering stoner trip-out, and from the birdsong emerges heavyweight atmospherics, and there are some satisfyingly dense guitars.
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‘Grave Cardinal’, with a running time just short of 23 minutes begins in a distant echo of feedback and atmosphere before a maelstrom of undulating guitars grind in. It’s intelligent and layered, the musical ambition matched by an ability to articulate the expansive ideas into something with real depth and resonance, a beast of a track in every sense. At the same time, as an album, ‘Maleficia Lamiah’ is remarkably accessible.
There can be no doubting Pombagira’s evolution here, and nor can there be any questions as to their accomplishments. ‘Maleficia Lamiah’ doesn’t so much head out on a limb as create a new land mass all of its own.
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