PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
American based solo project, Lamentations Of The Ashen return with a thunderous four track epic amalgamation of Funeral/Classic Doom and Black Metal that is as enjoyable as it is adventurous.
One of the very few problems I have with the Black Metal genre in general, is that it can sometimes be quite inward looking and either unwilling or unable to branch out and spread its Batwings in the musical sense. Not in this case though, indeed, very much the opposite is apparent from the very beginning of this project. From the opening depressive strains of curtain raiser, ’A Profane Illvmination’, I’m fighting against the tide, steadily being drawn into a dark world of sorrow and unspeakable horror. Thrown from pillar to post by a superbly thought out and assembled musical helter skelter ride, one minute, weighted down by really powerful Doom riffs, the next catapulted in to the sulpher pits by Demonic blast beats, with the occasional ambient section to sooth the brow.
Billing this offering as a mere four track is actually quite mean, as each song ranges from twelve to eighteen minutes in duration, ensuring value for your money if nothing else. In my opinion, each of these four compositions should be viewed and listened to as entirely separate bodies of work, yes, they flow and link into each other with ease but in each chapter dwells an entire novel. ’II’, for example, just has so much going on within its walls, both in terms of tempo and style changes, and also the emotional landscapes created, that if indeed it were a book, it would be one that you would be unable to put down.
The twisted genius responsible for this project, Bon Vincent Fry, has succeeded in producing that perfect balancing act of cross genre meanderings, coupled with an ability to stimulate and provoke the emotions, a feat rarely attempted, and hardly ever accomplished by anyone else that I have come across in this dark sub genre of Metal. Taking a step back, yes, I concede that this album is highly unlikely to achieve major commercial success, then again, I have a feeling that was never at the forefront of his mind when creating this release. In my eyes, this looks like an album born of an inherent desire and necessity to release a wealth of creativity to the masses, a sentiment that should be wildly applauded.
Picking the obligatory favourite track feels rather pointless and unnecessary in this instance, simply because, as mentioned earlier, each should be viewed and listened to in the singular rather than plural. Also, I’m sure my opinion will differ from yours anyway, I tend to really lose myself in the ambient and acoustic elements of ’Dissentient Cyclic Echelons’ for example, whilst others may prefer the harder passages but in essence, all the ingredients are there for you to enjoy and masticate upon.
In summary, an incredibly engaging and thought provoking album, one to close your eyes, lay back, and sink into. Long live the underground
Libertine Cyst is available for download via Bandcamp and iTunes, and in limited tape format via Sylvan Screams Analog and Fragile Branch. Release date : 3rd March
Track Listing ;
1. A Profane Illvmination
2. II
3. Hiraeth (Torpor Of The Persiflage)
4. Dissentient Cyclic Eschelons
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lamentations-Of-The-Ashen
https://www.facebook.com/SylvanScreamsAnalog
