Commoner – A Commoner’s Quest
Defining themselves as "downtrodden crust doom rock," British band Commoner surfaces like a Lovecraftian beast from the deep sea, shrouded in a miasma of dark and diverse influences.
A Commoner’s Quest by Commoner has arisen as a formidable entrant in the realm of heavy and doom metal, reflecting the collaborative genius of Mik from Coitus (and an original member of The Restarts) and Simon from Left For Dead. Describing their sound as “downtrodden crust doom rock,” the group was established in 2021 with four members hailing from different parts of the UK, though they are primarily based in Norwich, Norfolk.
The band’s sophomore album, A Commoner’s Quest, was released for free on Bandcamp in late March, 2024. The record, meticulously crafted across two iconic studios—Holy Mountain Studios in Hackney, London for the drums, engineered by Stanley Gravett, and Foel Studios in Wales for guitars and vocals, engineered by Chris Fielding, who also took the helm in producing and mastering the album alongside Commoner, sets a high bar in terms of production quality.
A Commoner’s Quest unfolds with “Eldervoid,” a track that immediately sets the tone with its brooding intensity. The descent continues with “Bacteria,” an expansive piece that clocks in at nearly eight minutes, showcasing the band’s ability to create intricate musical narratives. “Queens of Slaughter” accelerates the momentum with its aggressive riffs, leading into “Tamesis Naiad” (“Tamesis” is the ancient name for the River Thames in England, and “Naiad” refers to a type of water nymph in Greek mythology), an instrumental that offers a momentary respite with its ethereal quality.
The centerpiece, “Cthulhunaut” (a play on Lovecraft’s beast Cthulhu rising from the deep and Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut”), is an epic ten-minute voyage that epitomizes the album’s thematic depth, followed by “Hyrndu Draugabörnin,” which further explores the band’s affinity for creating dense and atmospheric soundscapes. The album concludes with the title track, “A Commoner’s Quest,” wrapping up the overarching narrative and musical motifs in a compelling culmination.
This album is a work rich in texture, depth, and intensity that will very likely resonate with both doom punks and metalheads.
