We’ve already mentioned the German doom metal band is LOVE alive? a few times on our blog – Ben, guitarist and songwriter of the outstanding Wheel, once talked enthusiastically about his compatriots in an interview with us.

With Welcome Home… is LOVE alive? present their third full-length. It’s worth emphasising that there have been some personnel changes compared to their excellent predecessor Second to None: Daniel Müller (drums) and Stefan Hüsing (vocals) have returned to the band, joining Tom Pieper (guitar) and Sascha Sievers (bass).

From a musical point of view, the band remains true to its core: we are dealing with classic doom, which should appeal to fans of genre giants such as Saint Vitus, Trouble or, of course, Black Sabbath. The heavy, traditional riffs and the extremely powerful bass, which plays a prominent role on Welcome Home…, stand out. There are also many great guitar leads, which are often the cherry on the tasty cake.

In general, it should be noted that this record sounds brilliant – there’s no better way to set the scene for doom: Denny Gabriel (producer, mixing, mastering) has done an excellent job in this respect!

Stefan Hüsing, who has sung on a demo and a split for is LOVE alive? in the past, has a very pleasant, bright voice that doesn’t push itself to the fore, but blends harmoniously into the overall picture. The band is undoubtedly the star here – and I’m sure that’s exactly what the quartet wanted to achieve with this line-up.

It would do the album an injustice to highlight a favourite track, as Welcome Home… is a complete piece of art, with a beginning and an end, the tracks only work in their entirety. So take just under 37 minutes of your time.

In a nutshell: the days are short, it’s cold – and we all need a warm blanket and food for the soul. is LOVE alive? serve us excellently in this respect, so I recommend Welcome Home… without any reservation as a soundtrack for the coming months (and beyond, of course). The German doom scene remains vibrant!

is LOVE alive? on Bandcamp: Click here.