Southern Lord 2010

This new album was released the end of April of this year, and features members of several American black metal bands, a sort of “super group”, if you will:

Azentrius (Nachtmystium)
Wrest (Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice)
Hildolf (Draugar)
Imperial (Krieg / N.I.L.)
Malefic (Xasthur)
Sanford Parker (Minsk)
Stavros Giannopoulos (The Atlas Moth)
Aaron Turner (Isis / Old Man Gloom)
John Gill (Black Tribe)
Maynard James Keenan (Tool)

And “super group” they are indeed!  This new release, “Monument to Time End” presents the listener with an entirely new version of black metal such as I’ve never heard before, since I am more familiar with the Scandinavian scene.  A friend of mine in Norway once described the U.S. black metal scene as being flooded with “thousands of crappy bands”, but when you consider the Norwegians have been the undisputed kings of the genre since its introduction, I suppose I can forgive his arrogance.  But with the emergence of bands like Nachtmystium, among others, and now Twilight, the U.S. is now putting its own stamp on the black metal genre, creating its own style and sound, rather than trying to emulate the Norwegian sound.  Innovation, creativity and originality is something that scores BIG points with me when I hear a new release, and I must honestly say that Twilight has scored big on all three fronts with this new release.

The album’s first track, “The Cryptic Ascension” is exactly that, an electronic build up which then launches into the guitar intro, which sounds more like progressive rock rather than black metal. It’s only when the vocals begin that one hears the black metal sound, while the background guitar and drum work continues to sound more melodic and progressive rather than the aggressive cacophony one would expect from black metal.  There is even a soft (!) and melodic guitar interlude, and the song continues with the addition of clean harmonic vocals in the background.

The second track, “Fall Behind Eternity” begins softly with quiet guitar work, drums, electronic keyboards, and a quiet screechy growl in the background.  The number then launches into a fast black metal number with guitar riffing with the customary black metal vocals.  My favorite part of this track is the quiet interlude which reminds this listener of the dark interior of a medieval church with haunting voices in the background.  The song then continues with a very progressive rock sound from the guitarists.

The third track, “8,000 years – Twilight” launches straight into the vocals, and continues at a fast and hard black metal pace, without losing the melody.  The electronic contribution of the keyboards is definitely not “gay”, and adds flourish to the number without dominating the whole song.  The background harmonizing vocals introduced halfway through the track brings more fullness and emphasis to the track without taking away its hard edge at all, finally concluding with an electronic swarm-like (like a swarm of bees) sound.

The fourth track, “Red Fields” is my favorite track, which begins with a hypnotic beat, launching into a splendid combination of vocals and guitars, interspersed with haunting background vocals and an almost tribal beat from the drums.  The vocalist screams his way through this track, giving the number the power and conviction which is something I adore in black metal.  Two-thirds of the way through the track is an acoustic (!) guitar interlude with the haunting background vocals for emphasis, and then proceeding with a chorus of clean vocals which then conclude this wonderfully varied number.

The fifth track, “Convulsions in Wells of Fever” is another number which launches right into the fast-paced black metal vocals, guitars and drums.  Again, the addition of the keyboards midway through the song adds, rather than dominates, the track.

The sixth track, “Decaying Observer” is a straightforward black metal piece which gives the listener the familiar black metal sound without losing any of the melody.  The music is cleanly executed, and it is easy to hear the different instrumentation, making it a pleasure to listen to.  The extended electronic interlude with screeching vocals in the background gives a very dark atmosphere to this number.

The seventh track, “The Catastrophe Exhibition” begins with a quiet acoustic intro, joined by a single drum, which is later followed by an electric guitar as background.  The vocals are then suddenly launched with additional guitars and drums.  This is a more technical piece, which makes the listener think more of progressive metal rather than black metal.

The eighth and final track, “Negative Signal Omega”, is a very distinctive number, with haunting background, almost monk-like, vocals, and a slow steady beat.  This one makes the listener think more of the cold outer regions of the universe.  The slow beat along with the accompanying guitars and keyboards, and finally concluding with a harmonic chorus of vocals, provides a fitting end to this perfect new release.

For anyone who is a fan of black metal, progressive metal, or who is interested in hearing something completely unique and innovative, this album is highly recommended!

Miss Dark

http://www.myspace.com/twilightusbm