Hey y’all. Remember the other day when I told you about The Lasting Dose Fest? If you’re planning on hitting the Hamburg gig tonight, you should probably already be on your way there! Since it’s around noon here in the eastern U.S., it’s probably getting close to showtime in Germany, if my understanding of time zones is correct (which is rarely the case).

But if you were sleeping on the event or weren’t already excited about it, what if I told you one of the performers put out one of my favorite albums of the year — in each of the past two years? Interested now?

Daevar – Amber Eyes (The Lasting Dose Records, 22 March 2024)

Daevar – Sub Rosa (The Lasting Dose Records, 28 March 2025)

Released nearly two years ago, Amber Eyes is actually the second LP by Colognian trio Daevar, but was my first introduction to the group who refer to themselves as “doom grunge.” The doominess is clearly evident, just from several of the titles (such as “Pay to Pray” or “Grey in Grey”) as well as others which suggest a bit of an occult vibe (“Lilith’s Lullaby” or “Caliban and the Witch”). Molasses-slow tempos abound, bass-intensive riffs dominate, and gloomy moods emanate from the ethereal melodic vocals, throughout tracks that often run in excess of seven or eight or ten minutes — everything you’d typically expect from an atmospheric-melodic-doom band.

But we just mentioned that Daevar refer to themselves as Doom Grunge. There are plenty of natural points of overlap between the two styles: crunchy-fuzzy bass tones, warmly overdriven guitars, smatterings of feedback, songs that are heavily percussion-driven. This material sometimes steps into a bit more of a “Seattle Sound” with guitar solos performed using a metallic wah lead sound that easily would have fit in any of the heavier tracks by Alice in Chains or Soundgarden (particularly the one in “Lizards”); but beyond that, the compositions tend to employ the grunge trademark soft-loud patterns, and several of the arrangements come across as especially grungy (for example, given its structure and chord sequence, title track “Amber Eyes” easily could have been a doomed-out cover version of a lost song from the Nevermind or Live Through This recording sessions).

And so naturally their follow up Sub Rosa, almost one year old at this point, would be the band’s third album. Here you’ll find plenty more atmospheric doom tinged with grunge elements, although perhaps it would be fair to say that each of those have been somewhat elevated here. The quiet parts are quieter and the loud parts are louder — just look at the restrained guitar intro to opening track “Catcher in the Rye” or the reverby-jangly intro to “Siren Song,” before the full band opens up full throttle in both cases. Average track length is a bit lower here, with most of them right around three-something to four-something minutes, again leaning a bit more into that grunge-like structure while still fully embracing the occult-doom aesthetic.

All in all — as I revisit both of these albums whilst writing this, I can only imagine these folks put on a mesmerizingly good live performance, and I’m jealous of whoever’s in Hamburg to experience it tonight.

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Amber Eyes is available digitally here (US) or digitally+physical here (EU).
Sub Rosa is available digitally here (US) or digitally+physical here (EU).
 

Daevar: website | Bandcamp | Instagram
 
The Lasting Dose Records: Bandcamp