Besides being the satisfying culmination of a couple of promising
demos, _Renounce_ is (considering what I have heard this year so far)
the best doom/death metal album to have been released in 2006. That a
debuting Portuguese band would achieve this in a year where My Dying
Bride released a new album makes it all the more remarkable, but in
truth it was actually Finland's My Shameful who came up with the most
serious candidate this year in that specific subgenre. As far as doom
metal in general, I find myself unable to choose between _Renounce_
and _Dismantling Devotion_ by Daylight Dies, which I cannot really
place in the same category of doom metal anyway as the latter is much
more melodic.Contrary to albums that tread grey areas between doom metal subgenres,
_Renounce_ is a doom/death album through and through. More
importantly, Process of Guilt create thoroughly enjoyable material
that is a fine example of the genre. It may not be the most
innovative, but neither is it necessarily derivative; the style sounds
familiar, but the music bears their own personal touch and remains
vivid and relevant. Boosted by an impeccable production job, this
results in an album that shows a great deal of confidence and belies
the lack of any previous albums. Opener "Motionless" simply explodes
upon the listener, with a mix of solemn passages, guitar laments, hard
hitting riffs and massive roars. "Becoming Light" immediately follows
suit, starting off with some especially effective guitar work, drum
fills and anguished death vox: doom/death damn near its best.
While I like all of the seven tracks however, the second half
generally tends to lack some of the album's initial impact.
Nevertheless, where normally one would be looking mostly at the
potential hinted at in this debut album, _Renounce_ already fulfills
most of that potential, therefore becoming a truly remarkable first
disc. Hopefully there is yet more to come.