The Red Sea- Review by Nin Chan (www.diabolicalconquest.com)

Astonishingly accomplished stuff here, from a solo project that somehow remains obscured from public view, despite having set forth two equally magnificent demos prior to this one. The agenda here is largely the same- utterly cheerless, mordant DOOM ™ that strikes a remarkable compromise between The Skull (think "The Wish" and "The Skull") Trouble vintage Black Sabbath and To Mega Therion Celtic Frost (in terms of bombast, thrust and majesty), crossbred with a dolorous despondency that is strikingly akin to Pornography- era Cure (something that is buttressed by Phil's excruciatingly morose Robert Smith-esque vocal delivery).

Of note here are the strides that Phil has made in terms of musicianship- the opening passage of "The Red Sea" flaunts some MAGICAL, rich instrumentation, tasteful swathes of guitar superimposed upon unpretentious drumming and adroitly deft, angular Geezer Butler bass. There is so much depth and thoughtfulness to the material here, and the music is simultaneously sparse and dense- the construction of each song is relatively bare and spacious, opening plenty of sonic pockets, stuffed liberally with tasteful fills and other instrumental accoutrements. Soul, conviction, spirit, Rote Mare bleeds all of these things, and there is urgency and spontaneity in spades here, an immaculate balance between classy, understated musicality and gripping emotional immediacy that is the hallmark of all honest heavy music. It helps that he knows how to craft a tune, as well, never dwelling too long on a mastodonic riff, and incorporating enough fluid transitions and twists to save the dirge-like sermons from becoming dull and flaccid. I cannot help but commend Phil's recent decision to record with live drums on this outing, a new development for Rote Mare, and one that has contributed considerably to the ingénue of the band- it is clear that Mr Howlett is not a classically-schooled drummer, and the stark, rudimentary, yet rich-sounding percussion presents a smooth alternative to the lifeless rigidity of a drum machine. It would be futile to isolate individual highlights here, as all four numbers are uniformly excellent, though as a statement of intent and a summation of the Rote Mare aesthetic, the briefest track here, "Slow Fade", effectively encapsulates the project's Skull-by-way-of-"Dawn Of Megiddo" approach.

This is sheer class, and comes with my very highest recommendations (not least because I'm attempting to do something that is similarly informed by Trouble and Frost). It has surely become apparent to most of you that unsigned doom is not always a hopeful proposition, what with the abundance of mediocre, complacent doom clogging used bins across the globe in this day and age, but Rote Mare is top shelf material that deserves to rub shoulders with today's most promising low n'slow troupes.

Rating 9.3 

Review By Kevin McHugh (www.doom-metal.com & www.hellridemusic.com)


Rote Mare, A/K/A Phil Howlett, is a one-man doom juggernaut. He lives it, he breathes it, and he dreams it. That's the inescapable conclusion I draw from repeated listening to Rote Mare's newest demo. A doom fanatic for over 20 years, Howlett has the smarts and ability to draw on the best from the 80s, i.e. Cirith Ungol, Trouble, Sabbath, and Candlemass, inject a syringe full of 70s groove, then add in more recent doomsters such as Reverend Bizarre and Church of Misery. The results lie somewhere halfway between the 70s-style doom rock of Rote Mare's 'American Terrorist' from 2005 and the slower, heaver 'Funeral Songs II’ from 2006. In other words, 'The Red Sea' is the best of both worlds.

The album is chock full of unusual melodies distributed through looooooong songs that never drag - quite an accomplishment right there. Phil adds incredible depth to the proceedings with his gut-level understanding of the emotional/spiritual state that is doom, communicated through gripping emotions and lyrics. His voice is clean and powerful, though to these ears he occasionally veers just a shade too far into Cure-ish weepiness. He's a wonderful guitarist, pumping out those old school riffs. As is so often the case with one-man efforts, there is a weakness, and it's the rhythm section. Phil does yeoman’s work on the rather spare drums and bass, and he's adequate to the task. I can't help but think, however, that a veteran rhythm section would elevate Rote Mare into the realm of the gods. I know, I know: finding musicians like that is about as easy as finding Lars Ulrich's modesty.

The fact is, 'The Red Sea' is prime, heavy, traditional doom with just a little funeral seasoning and a hint of Gothic drama. Phil's on his own program, characterized by passion, accomplished musicianship and songwriting, and honesty, and he deserves your support. After all, he's offering up what all of us talk about wanting. Hit it!



1. The Red Sea
2. The Weight
3. Slow Fade
4. A New Dawn

Approx. 43 minutes

Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh

The Red Sea (Reviewed by Mike Ballue www.hellridemusic.com)

Here we have the new released CDR from one man doom brigade from down under Rote Mare. Four tracks totaling over 40 minutes of doom, doom and more doom. Average track length is down a little bit from the last release Funeral Songs II, but still lands in double digit territory minute wise. There is a noticeable step forward in the maturity of the song writing. Funeral Songs II was not by any means weak in that area, but after hearing The Red Sea, the amount that the passion and purity of the doom carried the previous release is more apparent. The Red Sea brings not only an increase in maturity, but also an increase in accessibility. Not that we're talking commercial aspirations or anything like that, just a more immediate hook and more lasting memorability to the melody lines and riffs.

Opener The Red Sea shows the growth right from the start with it's seemingly paradoxical simple complexity and unusual melody line. The vocals (varying in style effectively, but always decipherable) and guitars are spot on (though a little beefing up of the guitar in the mix would not have been bad). The bass and drums are adequate to give a framework for the guitars and vocals to build off of, but are definitely at the rudimentary end of the spectrum. I seriously hope that Phil can find himself a rhythm section soon. I know it must be hard in his location, but the quality of the songs, guitars and vocals really demand a rhythm section that steps up and pushes them. Nevertheless The Red Sea rocks heavily.....a quality doom tune. The Weight is next, with a descending feel to the riff, like an overweight monster descending the stairs towards you. Another solid song this one, through and through doom, but refreshingly different from the lead track. Third up is Slow Fade, the short one of the bunch at just over six minutes. Slow Fade despite it's title steps the pace up a bit (still a traditional doom speed, no racing here) and once more demonstrates that doom can have consistency in purity without sacrificing variety. One more to grin ear to ear to, while head-banging slowly. Closer A New Dawn is a quite ambitious 15 minutes, but manages to pull it off without dragging on or boring the listener out. With a bit of an epic feel to it, this is a solid doom closer.

All in all this is a great step forward for Rote Mare and a quality slab of doom for those with a traditional bent. The only drawback really is the rudimentary nature of the rhythm section and lack of a full band and those mostly noticed in light of the tremendous potential demonstrated by the guitars and vocals. Well worth picking up as is for the avid or casual doom fan. 


Metal Perspective Review
Rote Mare - "The Red Sea"
[Self-Financed, 2006]


"The Red Sea" is the latest work of Phil Howlett's personal vision, Rote Mare. Phil Howlett is a true doomster as it shown from this release, which is kind of unofficial album. If you pay attention to the duration of the songs, you will notice that they are lengthy enough to be labeled as full album (but we still count it as a demo release). Now let's go to the core. "The Red Sea" is a pure doom metal release that respects some of the traditional tunes and mixes them with more up to date forms. This means that you may find some Trouble and some Electric Wizard together or some Acrimony and some Reverend Bizarre stuff at the same time. Do not be surprised if you find a spice of Candlemass and Saint Vitus; it is quite natural. This demo has all the elements of a doom metal release. The songs are mainly in slow rhythm, but there are some short outbreaks. The vocals are clean, but there are a few harsh ones (Celtic Frost-ish ones). The production is very good and the cover very plain (as it has to be if we are talking about doom).

So, are there any problems in this release or are we talking about a masterpiece. We can talk about the later, 'cause the release has some drawbacks. First of all it's obvious as in the case of every other one-man band that there isn't a full band to support adequately the songs. Of course Howlett has done his best in a very passionate and honest way, there is not doubt about it, but seems that there are more to do. Moreover there are some times that the songs lack of interest. I wouldn't attribute it to the duration of the songs, rather to inspiration, and with this turns again to the issue of a "normal" band.

To sum things up I would say that this is a very good release, that will satisfy all doom metal fans. I hope that Rote Mare will be able to publish something official and gain more attention, because they deserve it.

Rating: 7/10 Reviewer: Giannis Tsakonas