''Created in the Image of Suffering'' is the debut studio album by American

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band King Woman, released on February 24, 2017, through

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...

. The album has strong religious themes, inspired by the band's lead member Kristina Esfandiari's upbringing in a Charismatic Christian church. The album was recorded with producer Jack Shirley at the Atomic Garden in Palo Alto, California. King Woman supported ''Created in the Image of Suffering'' with an international tour, including a performance at

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. The album's cover art was created by Esfandiari's friend Ars Moriendee, after appearing to Esfandiari in a "weird vision". She explained the vision to Moriendee, who then "made it come to life."

Critical reception

The album was included in '' Consequence of Sound''s '10 Most Anticipated Metal Albums of 2017' list. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics. ''Metal Injection''s Jeremy Ulrey described the album as "An impressive debut by a group that has admirably hewn their own path to get here." The album ranked 22 on

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's top 100 albums of 2017 list. The album was also included by Pitchfork in its list of The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2017. '' The Guardian'' music critic Charlotte Richardson Andrews chose ''Created in the Image of Suffering'' as one of the best albums of 2017. Metalriot.com chose the album as their number one best album for all of 2017. Morgan Y. Evans wrote: "It channels the horror and pain of our times perfectly but doesn’t give up..."

Track listing

Personnel

* Kristina Esfandiari – vocals, guitar *Colin Gallagher – guitar *Peter Arensdorf – bass *Joey Raygoza – drums

References

2017 debut albums King Woman albums Relapse Records albums Albums produced by Jack Shirley {{2010s-metal-album-stub