Almost everything SubRosa do on _More Constant Than the Gods_ seems to go against the boring norm. For a doom band with clean vocals and two violins, there is hardly any conventional melody. Despite the stoner influences, there is no meandering spaced out fuzz. They have their very own, unique take on the doom genre. The violins can offer up the sweetest of melodies, but they often contribute a cunningly dissonant note to the music instead. The female vocalist is a similar highlight: her contribution is remarkable, but any sweet or even straightforward vocal melodies are few and far between. The vocal delivery is varied, drawing from other genres and pure inspiration, thus giving the music a whole new dimension. Behind all this writhes a massive wall of guitar distortion and able drumming that drives the similarly unconventional songwriting forward.

With songs typically ranging from ten to fourteen minutes in length, and only the infectious "Cosey Mo" dropping down to seven, this is not an especially easy album to get into. It took me some time to appreciate it, which is usually a good sign; and that's not something I get to experience very often these days. So give _More Constant Than the Gods_ a chance: it's not easy to explain what makes it so good, but it really is one of the best and most unique albums released in 2013, regardless of genre.