Album Review: Frayle – Heretics & Lullabies (Napalm Records)

Cleveland, Ohio, modern doom metal outfit Frayle will release their brand-new (and third) full length album, ‘Heretics & Lullabies’, on October 10th, 2025, via Napalm Records.

Taking the familiar gloom of doom and twisting it to be even more haunted, Frayle’s modern take on the style is powerful, least of all because of the unnerving vocals of Gwyn Strang. She embodies the unique setup of the band, both from a visual and sonic perspective, creating a strong sense of mystery and intrigue.

They’re on the rise, that much should be clear to anyone paying attention to things at the moment, expanding beyond the doom scene with a more accessible sound. A sound that swirls around the mind, gets under the skin, and sinks deeply into the soul in an excitingly addictive way. If there is one thing about this album that surprise more than anything else, it is the fact that it is anthemic.

Something that is evident from the start with the unsettling concentration of haunting doom that Walking Wounded delivers. A very sophisticated chorus, rumbling heaviness, and ever encroaching darkness helps make it very special. Whereas Summertime Sadness ups the poppier aspects of Frayle’s sound, adding a deeper post-like ring to the guitars, and has the vocals sounding extra breathy. Then along comes Boo, a track that blends cleaner melodies with crushing drops of doomy intensity and has guttural vocals arrive with potency.

Three strong showcases of the evolved doom sound that Frayle employ and three strong showcases of the album’s addictive qualities.

Demons is a personal favourite though. With its chunky guitar sound, delivered in destructive fashion, and daringly playful vocal style. The lyrics are great on this one, and the relationship between the heavier instruments and Gwyn’s soft voice is really potent here.

The darkness, something that always surrounds Frayle, is thicker then ever on Souvenirs of Your Betrayal. Whereas Glass Blown Heart delivers some of the heaviest riffs and mood-altering cinematically tinged melodies, and Hymn for the Living makes its mark with layers of abundant atmosphere. Frayle’s addictive qualities front and centre still as the record reaches its apex.

With no compromise on their core sound, Frayle will manage to capture the imagination of more then just doom fans. Especially as so much of what is on offer here has a hypnotic quality too. Ending with a series of dark, dramatic, and downright dreamy, efforts called Run, Heretic, and Only Just Once. Frayle as esoteric as ever. However, the fact that Heretic has such a catchy chorus, makes it stand out from the bunch.

Frayle have always had wider appeal than your average doom band anyway, but to see this side of them expanding on this album is interesting. They’re likely to only continue to grow in size once the full impact of this album is felt by a wider audience. One that is guaranteed to flock to the band as word spreads of their haunting excellence.

Frayle – Heretics & Lullabies Track Listing:

1. Walking Wounded
2. Summertime Sadness
3. Boo
4. Demons
5. Souvenirs of Your Betrayal
6. Glass Blown Heart
7. Hymn For the Living
8. Run
9. Heretic
10. Only Just Once

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