Having liked The Devil’s Blood’s final album, “The Thousandfold Epicentre,” I was very intrigued to hear what the band’s former rhythm section would come up with in their new band Dool. Since bassist Job van de Zande and drummer Micha Haring were already a super tight team, they needed to have members with equal talent. While I liked Farida Lemouchi, the vocalist of The Devil’s Blood (who reminded me a bit of a female David Bryon of Uriah Heep), Dool vocalist Ryanne van Dorst is truly a revelation on vocals.

She reminds me a bit of Joey Eppard of 3 or even Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria, though she is a female of course. PLUS she has more grit than those guys anyway. It’s her almost asexual vocal that elevates each song to a higher plain. Add in that Nick Polak (Gold) and Reinier Vermeulen (The New Media) are absolute RIFF machines and you have a very dangerously talented lineup.

“Here Now, There Then” doesn’t sound like a debut album because it’s mature, dark, evil, psychedelic and flat out awesome on every level. The 10 minute plus “Vantablack” kicks things off and it is a true epic. Big riffs, big vocals and dark! What makes this album so great is that each song has it’s own distinct personality. From the psychedelic stomp of “Golden Serpents” to the slithering “Words on Paper” to the catchy yet quite progressive first single “Oweynagat,” once you think the next song can’t possibly be as great as the last song…IT IS!

“The Alpha” is another favorite of mine but truth be told, there isn’t a track on here that I don’t LOVE. My only complaint is that the B-side track for “Oweynagat,” “Inside The Cave Of The Cat” was left off the album. That song is as great as any of the songs on this album. It has this slow, brooding build to it that might have been a great closer, not to take anything away from “She-Goat” which kicks ass.

Simply put, “Here Now, There Then” is a debut album that plays like Dool’s Greatest Hits. Their style might fit better in the 70s but the production is modern and PUNCHY. The sound on this album does the songs the justice they deserve. In a perfect world, Dool would be massive. This might not be a perfect world but this is a perfect album.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. Vantablack
2. Golden Serpents
3. Words On Paper
4. In Her Darkest Hour
5. Oweynagat
6. The Alpha
7. The Death Of Love
8. She Goat

Label: Prophecy Productions
Website: allthosewhowanderaredool.com