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The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike / Let There Be Doom... (2002)
The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike / Let There Be Doom... is a 7" split from Mournful Congregation and Worship, released in August 2002. Both tracks were recorded two years earlier, though sat on the shelf for a while. The first track on here was actually my introduction to this style, thanks to hearing it on "The Haunted Mansion" not long after its release.
"The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike" is the highlight of this E.P. This is the best piece of music that Mournful Congregation ever created. This is slow, miserable funeral doom with an epic feeling. The production is rather rough, which aids the atmosphere immensely. The riffs are dismal and soul-crushing, accentuated by weeping lead melodies that tear your heart out of your chest. The vocals are rather deep, but suit the material more than the guttural grunts of Thergothon, for example. They still convey some sense of anguish, adding to the depressive mood of the music. The song features quieter acoustic parts as well as utterly wretched solos.
Worship's "Let There Be Doom..." is similarly underproduced and raw. The atmosphere is more ominous than melancholic, though still quite dismal. The vocals are deeper and less expressive than the previous song. On its own, it would be a solid enough track, but here it pales in comparison to the Mournful Congregation song, or even to their own previous material such as "Solicide and the Dawning of the Moonkult".
All in all, the material on this split is a good representation of funeral doom. While one band clearly overshadows the other, both tracks are worthwhile. Those in search of something particularly bleak and depressive would do well to seek out "The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike," which has since been re-released on more than one Mournful Congregation compilation.
"The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike" is the highlight of this E.P. This is the best piece of music that Mournful Congregation ever created. This is slow, miserable funeral doom with an epic feeling. The production is rather rough, which aids the atmosphere immensely. The riffs are dismal and soul-crushing, accentuated by weeping lead melodies that tear your heart out of your chest. The vocals are rather deep, but suit the material more than the guttural grunts of Thergothon, for example. They still convey some sense of anguish, adding to the depressive mood of the music. The song features quieter acoustic parts as well as utterly wretched solos.
Worship's "Let There Be Doom..." is similarly underproduced and raw. The atmosphere is more ominous than melancholic, though still quite dismal. The vocals are deeper and less expressive than the previous song. On its own, it would be a solid enough track, but here it pales in comparison to the Mournful Congregation song, or even to their own previous material such as "Solicide and the Dawning of the Moonkult".
All in all, the material on this split is a good representation of funeral doom. While one band clearly overshadows the other, both tracks are worthwhile. Those in search of something particularly bleak and depressive would do well to seek out "The Epitome of Gods and Men Alike," which has since been re-released on more than one Mournful Congregation compilation.
(23 June 2026)
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