‘Hope dies, My fates been sewn, Settling into my grave, I was stroking your hair of snake, That morning I was flesh and bone, By night I had turned to stone’ (Turned To Stone)

Porcelain Doll is the first 7-inch from Excess Blood.  The Portland trio, who feature Trae Brown of Electric Chair, continue to revel in the propulsive, mournfully shimmering death rock that defined their self-titled 2024 demo.  A gothically shrouded world of roses, graves, and darkening skies, but one that also seethes with a combative intent that belies its themes of loss, regret, and the unrequited.  Think, perhaps, Human Trophy meets Koridor but with a dash of additional hardcore grit and that would be about right.

The title track kicks things off, brooding melancholy soon morphing into a surging escalation, before the barrelling Cathedral Park sees the drawled baritone of the lead vocals duelling with an altogether more abrasive support.  My personal highlight is the darkly chiming, densely layered Turned To Stone, with Clamor Of Please rounding things off with a jagged brusqueness.  A powerfully assured debut.