I love The Obsessed, actually, that's about the only band (sans Place of Skulls) that Scott Weinrich has been in that I truly enjoy. So when I found a band that follows in the footsteps of that classic doom band, I couldn't help but become enamoured with them. That band being Hungary's Wall of Sleep. Of course, being late to the party, as the band is on their third album, I picked up the newest album, ...And Hell Followed With Him and was left with no regrets.

Wall of Sleep deliver rocking doom metal; more often than not playing above the nodding pace of many traditional bands, which often leads to the "stoner" tag that, depending on your views on doom metal, may or may not be warranted. The connection to The Obsessed is definitely not unwarranted as both bands clearly play within the same framework, vocalist Gábor Holdampf even taking a rather Wino-like (with an accent of course) approach. It's bands like these that truly deliver in the riff department, the pace is perfect for big meaty riffs that don't lend themselves to droning, yet aren't so fast that one is left with endless chugging simply to keep pace. The production style is quite fitting, if not slightly updated compared to some of Wall of Sleep's contemporaries. The sound is generally pretty dry, not a lot of extra spice, and unlike some other bands, the guitars aren't drowned out in fuzz; there's definitely some more crunch to go along with a much sharper, less natural, drum sound.

While adhering to the doom tradition coming before them, the band initially rock out on opening track, "Buried 1000 Times". The band creates a great initial burst, with drummer Szabolcs Szolcsányi riding his crash throughout the intro, initially by his lonesome before the guitars kick in and things settle down for the verses. It's also in this song that some rather untraditional doom lead guitar kicks in, somewhat more befitting to someone like Zakk Wylde, of course there's a myriad of more traditional lead work, but it creates an interesting disparity in the songs, and is not distracting in the least. Things become more drawn out in tracks like "Nails for Crucifixion” and "November", the band slowing down, taking a more calculated, yet emotional approach. In "Nails for Crucifixion" things do pick up slightly while taking a much heavier approach by the time Holdampf's vocals kick in. "November" is a much more sombre, laid back song with lots of subtle dual guitar work, some interesting melodies and open chords going on next to the song's main rhythm.  "Unchanged" is dominated by heavy, pounding rhythms that are absolutely relentless, but do give way to some open areas, even sections that allow some solo vocals.

Throughout the album the music ebbs and flows, it jumps back and forth. The band picks up the pace, only to slow it down, brings on some devastating riffage, but gives the listener a breather. It's clear on multiple listens that the guys in Wall of Sleep have taken the steps to craft an album that will stand up on repeated listens. While they do adhere to the traditional standards of doom metal, they do create some diversity and work in some dynamics here and there so that the listener gets something worth investing 40 minutes into.