On the surface, Dool seems to operate in similar territory as most of the dark rock bands that have been popping up slowly but steadily in recent years. Not unlike the gothic rock acts that inspired those bands, however, most of them manage to release one captivating album, after which it becomes clear that they know how to create a dark atmosphere, but lack the songwriting skills to create something worthwhile beyond that. ‘The Shape of Fluidity‘, on the other hand, is Dool’s third excellent studio album already, and it’s one on which the Dutch quintet further stretches the dynamic boundaries of their sound.

Compared to Dool’s previous two albums, the doom metal elements are slightly toned down on ‘The Shape of Fluidity’, though there are still massive, monolithic riffs like the one that opens first single ‘Hermagorgon’. What Dool does even better than ever before is making use of the fact that they have three guitarists. Often, they are widening the sound by playing similar parts slightly differently, such as clean arpeggios that unfold in various ways simultaneously, or they leave one or two guitars out during a verse to maximize the impact of a chorus. The arrangements are well thought out without sounding contrived.

What might help ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ sound as cohesive as it does is the theme running through its lyrics. In a way, the album is the band’s most personal yet, as the struggles with gender identity that singer/guitarist Raven van Dorst – who was born with both male and female sexual characteristics – has experienced through the years are prominent themes. At times, Van Dorst is fairly direct, but at other times, the ideas expressed in the lyrics are deliberately more vague and refer to struggles with change and identity in general. It gives the album some cohesion without going full concept album.

This cohesion is also reflected in the track order, which has an extremely pleasant flow. It would not surprise me if multiple song orders have been attempted before settling on this one. As such, ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is best listened to in one sitting. However, that does not mean that it is devoid of individual highlights. The title track is a masterpiece in how it evolves from a haunting ballad to a massive doom monster with excellent vocal melodies. Closing track ‘The Hand of Creation’ brilliantly works towards its cathartic climax, while ‘Evil in You’, ‘Self-Dissect’ and opener ‘Venus in Flames’ effectively display the slightly more accessible rock side of the band.

If you like your rock music dark and atmospheric, but without losing track of structure and melody, there are hardly any better bands for you than Dool at the moment. They nail the atmosphere and the style just as well as many other bands on the darker side of the rock spectrum, but Dool are simply much better songwriters. Every song on ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ has its own clear identity, and all instrumentalists play in service of that identity at all times. The album also shows a clear progression from its two excellent predecessors without alienating what made Dool such a great band in the first place. Highly recommended.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Shape of Fluidity’, ‘Evil in You’, ‘The Hand of Creation’, ‘Self-Dissect’