Guest Reviewer: lordslop
Band: Middian
CD Title: Age Eternal
Year: 2006
Website: www.middian.org
MySpace: myspace.com/middiandoom
Label: Metal Blade
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Guest Reviewer Exclusive
Rating: 8.75 / 10
More Links: Please discuss this review and band in the Loucifer Speaks forum.

I was first impressed by the artwork, before diving straight in and giving it a listen. My immediate thought was 'Sweet!', and in fact, I liked it so much I wrote a review. But first, some background: Middian was born out of the ruins of the great YOB, with YOB supreme Mike Scheidt taking the reins again and putting a new band together around his singer/guitarist/songwriter role. As such, it sounds very much like a fifth YOB record, following on in much the same vein from 2005’s ‘The Unreal Never Lived’. Now, those of you already acquainted with YOB’s work will be overjoyed to hear this, and rightly so: what we have here is another hour of rather great stoner doom; the same booming but catchy riffs and distinctive vocals that were so central to YOB are obviously present here as well. Songs of the monolithic nature of opener ‘Dreamless Eye’ and the title track will put wide grins on the faces of long-standing fans.
The musicianship is good, though it's not exactly important, but I was pleased to see Scheidt's songwriting skills still at such a good standard. The riffs are some of the best he's penned, making it quite an accessible release.

However, my endorsement is not total; certainly the album goes nowhere near equaling, let alone eclipsing, the best YOB releases.
It has some crackers of songs, but after three excellent and catchy songs, it tails off slightly with the faster ‘The Celebrant’, a direction which doesn’t much appeal to me, and the good but impenetrable ‘Sink to the Center’.

Nonetheless, Middian have recorded a very good album, and a must-have for fans of Mike Scheidt’s work, and it is certainly one of the better, though not the best, albums of 2007.