Review: Oromet – The Sinking Isle, out now from Hypaethral Records
If you read my last review about @Hypnotic Dirge Records‘ new album Rituel : Initiation by De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube, you’ll know that I have not listened to many 2026 releases yet. This is largely due to the fact that a handful of albums released right at the end of 2025 really stuck with me. Many instances throughout January and February, where I found an opportunity to listen to music, I found myself reaching for those late-2025 albums rather than any new 2026 releases.
The most frequently visited of those releases is The Sinking Isle by @Oromet. Released November 7, 2025 by @Hypaethral Records. Before I get into talking about the album, check out the music here:
In most cases, I follow specific bands. Whether it be on social media, or joining a mailing list, or just occasional-but-regular visits to their websites. Every so often however, I come across a record label that has such tight and high-quality vision, that I find myself glommed onto the record label rather than specific bands, and wind up eagerly checking out whatever they release regardless of my prior familiarity with each individual band presented.
@Hypaethral Records is one of those labels. I first discovered @Hypaethral Records when a close friend recommended the band @Nepenthe to me, specifically the album, The Fading Promise of Tomorrow & Elegies of Loss and Doom . As soon as I heard that album, I took a deep dive into @Hypaethral Records, subsequently discovering that another album I already owned on vinyl, Condescending by @Föhn, was also a @Hypaethral Records release, I was just oblivious to it at the time of buying it.
This began my keen interest in @Hypaethral Records. I have a fondness for labels that do not release many albums per year. They tend to pour a lot of effort into making each release feel very special and impactful as a result. As a listener, it makes me feel like the label offers a very “boutique” and curated experience. It also helps me get the feel for what the label’s overall sound and artistic mission is (this isn’t to say that I also don’t love labels that release frequently!). Labels that release infrequently also appeal to the “collector” in me. I find a special joy in buying every release from a label that releases 5 or 6 albums per year, without feeling burned out or overwhelmed.
This is all to ultimately lead me back to @Oromet. @Oromet is a two-piece funeral doom metal band from Sacramento, California, consisting of Patrick Hills, who handles drums, bass, synth, and backing vocals, as well as mixing, mastering, and being the producer; and Dan Aguilar, who handles guitar and vocals, as well as design, layout, and illustration. Prior to @Hypaethral Records, I was not familiar with @Oromet. I am very grateful that @Hypaethral Records put them on my radar, because despite releasing in November, The Sinking Isle quickly became one of my favorite albums of 2025.
The first thing that drew me in was of course the cover art.
The artwork is titled Ships of the Faithful by artist Ted Nasmith. It’s a breathtaking and monumental piece. Absolutely crackling with energy and life, striking a balance between vibrant and catastrophic. It is the PERFECT piece of art to represent the music contained within The Sinking Isle.
I am not an avid funeral doom fan. I do enjoy it, but it’s not a style of music I put on casually, generally requiring a very particular emotional headspace for me to go for it. It’s a subgenre that is often exceptionally broody, morose, contemplative, and dark. In my experience, it’s also often a subgenre that rewards patience and anticipation, and doesn’t offer hooks generously. For my tastes, it’s a challenging (I mean that as a compliment) genre. The Sinking Isle successfully challenges everything I just said in describing funeral doom. Despite containing only 3 songs—each of which are quite long—not a single moment of the album drags or causes my attention to drift. For such slow-moving music, every musical choice on the album is steeped in a sense of heartfelt melancholy and longing, delivered via incredibly catchy melodies. This is music that deeply resonates with me on an emotional level. When the album was initially launched for preorders, I listened to the first single (I wish I could remember which song it was), then found myself listen to it again 3 more times in a row, to the point that it brought me to tears.
The Sinking Isle is a titanic work, that feels like a fully-realized piece of art connecting sound with visuals.
It’s available now right here on Ampwall, via @Hypaethral Records:
Digital: https://oromet.ampwall.com/album/the-sinking-isle
Vinyl: https://oromet.ampwall.com/merch/limited-edition-12-vinyl
CD: https://oromet.ampwall.com/merch/limited-edition-compact-disc