Psalm Premiere In Darkness… Have Mercy EP in Full; Out Tomorrow
Upstart doom rockers Psalm present their second EP, In Darkness… Have Mercy, tomorrow, July 15. Based in Las Vegas (and maybe also California?), the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Jon “Fro” Torres, guitarist Carlos Martinez and drummer Ian Henneforth (also Sonolith, ex-Spiritual Shepherd, etc.) have restructured somewhat since their first short offering, 2021’s Blessed Are the Cursed, as this encouraging 19-minute/four-song release both introduces Henneforth to the band and slides Torres from guitar to bass, with Martinez new on guitar. That’s a two-thirds-new trio, just to do the math real quick, and it puts Torres in the position of being the lone founding member of an outfit who got together just five years ago, in the year of our pestilence, 2020.
There’s two ways that can go. Either Psalm will have figured out their lineup dynamic and In Darkness… Have Mercy will be like a second debut EP setting them on a forward course together into an unknown-but-that-much-more-doomed-for-their-presence future, or the lineup will keep changing, as happens sometimes for myriad reasons. For what it’s worth, listening to the second-half takeoff of “Messiah” on this EP, Psalm are nothing if not solidified. They unveil a hint of nascent melodic complexity in the opening “Misery,” and “Messiah” trades between loud and quiet in a first half underscored by the bassline before the riff kicks back in for the chorus. It’s classic stuff; doom wrought by doomers, traditional but with a generational shift in perspective as the younger Psalm adopt the methods of genre and begin to make them their own.
I’ll spare you the poignant musing about Black Sabbath retiring even as their influence spreads through up and coming bands 50-someodd years later — you know it already and how much wax poetry do you need in your life? — and out of respect to Psalm and the work they do here, making their lumbering tones move in the penultimate “Value the Suffering” while taking a risk on some oldschool-style double-kick behind a Troubled riff and so on, they feel more in league with Los Angeles Early Moods in their young-band-taking-on-an-old-sound realization. It’s not just the
‘fro. There’s a gnash in the vocals as “Blessed Are the Cursed” — which appeared as the title-track on the first EP, but has been re-recorded by the band as they are now — and if you told me “Messiah” was playing off a buried-vocal Candlemassian flow early on, I wouldn’t argue the point. The fact that you can hear multiple ideas playing out in the songs is a strength.
Through the character of their tones, the detailing of the mix that puts the vocals low to make the guitars sound that much bigger, and the dug-in-but-not-staid energy they bring to doom, plus the fact that they’re obviously still growing as a band and figuring out who they want to be — which is reasonable for a band who don’t have a full-length out yet, or, I suppose one who has 15 — Psalm give an exciting glimpse at their doom in the process of its shaping. It’s nice to feel good about an act with potential, and Psalm make it easy to root for them and want them to do well, because the end result of the songs is demonstrative of the care put into making them. You can hear commitment to ideology in the material, but it’s an exploration of its own farthest reaches too, and speaks to the band actively pushing themselves forward in craft.
One looks forward to a first album from Psalm, but don’t let the fact that it’s only four tracks keep you from taking on In Darkness… Have Mercy in the moment of its arrival, i.e. the present. This is a band with something to offer in doom, and they’re just starting to manifest that in their work. It may be they sound all the more fresh for the shiny-new incarnation of the band, but screw it, I’ll take it either way as they immediately lock in the nod of “Misery” at the outset for the next return and herald the mark they hope to leave on the style. Chug and immersion, as part of a sound that bridges generations and will hopefully continue to flourish.
In Darkness… Have Mercy is out tomorrow. Stream it in full on the player below, followed by a few words from the band, and please enjoy:
After four years and a couple of grueling months of preparations, it is finally time to welcome Psalm’s new EP ‘In Darkness…Have Mercy’. These tracks are nothing short of heavy and are ever-evolving, and with this EP we’d like to introduce a new lineup to take you through a soul- crushing journey that you won’t forget. With Carlos Martinez on guitar and Ian Henneforth on drums, we aim to conjure a full wall of sound made of earth- shaking guitars, low metallic bass, and atomic, pounding drums.
Psalm – In Darkness… Have Mercy
EP out July 15th, 2025
Self-released (Digital)
CD, Cassette, & Vinyl coming soon
Las Vegas, Nevada
Psalm is:
Jon “Fro” Torres – Vocals/Bass
Carlos Martinez – Guitar
Ian Henneforth – Drums
