The Eye of the Monolithicrypt is watching us all, ready to drag us to the Stygian realm ruled by this talented American Death and Doom Metal band.
After releasing a well-received demo and a split, Portland, Oregon-based Death/Doom Metal outfit Besotten (an alternative or older form of the adjective “besotted,” meaning completely infatuated, foolishly in love, or intoxicated), who labels their music as a hybrid of “psyxhix death” and “existential doom,” is unleashing hell armed with their debut full-length album, entitled Eye of the Monolithicrypt, which they have meticulously worked on for the past few years. Mixed and mastered by Leon Del Muerte (who also took care of the vocal and guitar engineering), with drums engineered by Charlie Koryn, and displaying a demented artwork by Lord Serus, the new offering by Garth Purkett on vocals and bass, Patrick Sinn-Movilla on the guitars and synthesizers, and Andy Osborn on drums presents five songs which are a mix of short ones as well as those exceeding 10 minutes, and are rather diverse with each song having its own identity while maintaining an overall cohesive sound.
Mist of Decay already offers our putrid ears a striking fusion of Death and Doom Metal, as evil and harsh as it can be, with Garth stealing the spotlight with his demonic, deep gnarls, setting the stage for the bludgeoning Bathed in Insufferable Light, a ten-minute beast from the abyss showcasing the scathing riffs by Patrick and the slow and doomed beats by Andy, also presenting cryptic passages and a strong sense of hopelessness and despair. Their demented Death Metal side arises again in Cruentation, with the bass by Garth reverberating like the scream of a demonic entity, accompanied by another ruthless performance by Andy on drums; and the same Andy shows no mercy for his drums in Storming the Cerebral Citadel, sounding deadly and vile from start to finish, with the band’s Doom Metal soul burning majestically. Their longest songs are obviously their best, which is the case in Bloodcairn, where the striking riffs and solos by Patrick add layers of insanity to their already devilish sounds before all fades into the unknown.
In comparison to the other bands out there, the music by Besotten is more structured and fleshed out, amplifying all the best elements of this style, and remaining delectably crushing and foul, exactly like what they have to offer in Eye of the Monolithicrypt. Highly recommended for admirers of the music by Worm, Disembowelment, Hooded Menace, Abyssal Rift, and Undergang, just to name a few, Eye of the Monolithicrypt can be purchased from their own BandCamp or from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, US store or EU store. Don’t forget to also follow the band on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, or you can click HERE for all things Besotten. In other words, the Eye of the Monolithicrypt is watching us all, ready to drag us to the Stygian realm ruled by Besotten, and to trap us forever in eternal doom.
Best moments of the album: Bathed in Insufferable Light and Bloodcairn.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2026 Transcending Obscurity Records
Track listing
1. Mist of Decay 5:52
2. Bathed in Insufferable Light 10:00
3. Cruentation 4:39
4. Storming the Cerebral Citadel 4:07
5. Bloodcairn 11:37
Band members
Garth Purkett – vocals, bass
Patrick Sinn-Movilla – guitars, synthesizers
Andy Osborn – drums
