Shape of Despair

Originally conceived by guitarists T.U. (rhythm) and J.S. (lead) in 1995, Finland's Shape of Despair combined the doom/death sound of early-'90s pioneers like Paradise Lost and Anathema with the synthesizer-laced, panoramic goth metal popularized in the late '90s by Tiamat and Moonspell. Initially calling themselves Raven, the group remained a sporadic project at best, slowly composing material over the next few years, which they would eventually assemble into a long-form demo by 1998. In order to avoid being confused with New Wave of British Heavy Metal stars Raven, they also...