Wow.....just, wow. My first exposure to the genre of funeral doom music came roughly two years ago as I reviewed Funeral's "From These Wounds", and I really just fell in love with that album. I've shuffled through a few doom/funeral doom bads here and there since (Terhen, Depressed Mode, etc), but none have hit me like this prog-influenced masterpiece of a band from Santiago, Chile. Comprised of five members (Juan Escobar on keys and vocals, Rodrigo M and Sergio Alvarez on guitars, Rodrigo Galvez on bass, and Alejandro Arce on drums) and displaying a penchant for writing epic tunes, Mar De Grises is easily one of the hardest bands to STOP listening to out of this set of promos. I've always gauged an album's awesomeness (to myself, anyway) on how difficult it is to put that cd away and move on to the next one in the batch to review, and "Draining The Waterheart" is damn near impossible to do that with, and I've been putting this write-up off for a while. When I listen to this disc, my mind just relaxes and goes off to another realm - as cheesy as that sounds - it's true. The textures in writing on this disc are fairly thick and speak to you as a voice of one. Song's like "One Possessed" evoke ethereal and almost mystical vibes. The guitar tracks and bass tend to dance and shift and intertwine with the keys like the threads that make up a rope or blanket to envelope the listener in an all-encompassing listening experience.

Production here is so damned excellent, all the instrumentation is crystal clear. The vocals, and this is rare for me to like, are somewhat lower in the mix for the majority of the album. I think this allows the music to take over and become the true messenger for "Draining The Waterheart". Whether growling in a slow, somber, morose style or utilizing cleans to empower certain parts of this record, the vocals always act as another instrument. This is not to say that in the usual "extreme metal" way, but more as a truly artistic means. "Summon Me" is a good example of growls that don't overpower the song itself, but compliment it. All in all this album has been well-received both by this writer and all the people I've recommended it to, so that says something. Definitely for fans of doom, funeral doom, and possibly prog as well. I will be giving this many, many more spins in the future and keeping the album in high regard for years to come!

Rating: 10 out of 10. Check this band out!!!!