With "Gloom Rock Asylum" Jack Frost delivers their fourth album. Coming from Linz in Austria the band plays a kind of melancholy mix of sinister doom-like gloom metal and tough stoner-rock. They`ve evolved during the years from doom metal on their first CD "Eden" (1995) and the Gothic-oriented "Elsewhere" to the darker and sinister gloom metal on their latest CD "Gloom Rock Asylum". "Eden" and "Elsewhere" can be seen as an hommage to doom metal and gothic/wave bands like Bauhaus and Joy Division. The initial success led to Austrian support tours with Cradle Of Filth and Obituary. The band`s third CD "Glow Dying Sun" is of a more gloomy sound. With "Gloom Rock Asylum" Jack Frost continues this sound. The band`s line-up is Phred Phinster (bass, vocals), Mournful Morales (guitars), Gary Gloom (guitars) and Collossos Rossos on drums.

The result is a dark and depressive melody with clean male singing. Especially "How will I sleep" creates a great dark/doomy atmosphere. Phred Phinster sings quite low and at times seems to imitate the gloominess of Peter Steele, which darkens the atmosphere. Even the cover of the known classic "California dreaming", though it definetely is more of my style than the original! Thinking of the original played much slower and a couple of chords lower. Sounds better, I can assure you! The same dark "funeral"sound can be found like a red line throughout the CD. "Psychodrome" and "Beyond the Rubicon" are more examples of this rather unhappy view upon life in general. But that, combined with qualitatively good music is exactly what makes this more than average. Great to put in the stereo and slowly drift away!