Of the Muses – Senhal 9.5/10
Cristina Rombi is Of The Muses. The literal physical embodiment of the music contained within. Senhal is not so much a record but an offering that contains part of her presence that is as undefinable and yet as innately tangible as the whispers she conjures into your senses or the screams of denial and rage that permeates her being.
Sumptuous, sensuous, and at times as gorgeous as it is frightening, the shrieks that pierce the beautiful opening number of ‘’I’’ before its break into a harmonious introspection of subtle guitar highlights. The vocal harmonies are transformative and elevate before the extremity is combined with beautiful melody that is surprising and addictive. It is an album filled with desire and romance, sorrow, and intimacy.
An album of five parts Senhal is a complete work that is best described as music rather than trying to describe it. Yes, there are elements of black gaze, doom, some parts folk. Some of vocal lines are pure pop infused fragility and black metal bleakness that are brilliantly intertwined as on the majesty that is ‘’II’’.
Ethereal and earthen, the piano parts are gorgeous, the blasts beasts its darkened counterpoint, the ability create such peaks and valleys make Senhal a journey that combines passion with raw talent. The ability to make less more, the juxtaposition of styles of black metal rasps over near silence and melody over blast beats make it a journey that is filled with wild experimentalism.
Beautiful wanting harrowing and ultimately haunting, Senhal is a staggering debut of talent that is refined yet loses none of the heavy, emotional, and powerful soundscapes that permeate the senses and leave you wanting, feeling, and experiencing something truly special.
Mourneress - A Rooted Sorrow 9/10
From the haunting opening melody that is ‘’Embrace of Fading Sun’’ Natalia Drepina’s new project Mourneress explores beautiful melodies and equal parts grief on her latest album ‘’ A Rooted Sorrow’’
A deeply immersive experience all art photography, poetry and music is Natalia’s creation and leads to a completely intimate look at a soul that has been irrevocably hurt by grief but is able to conjure beautiful sonnets to those who have passed. It is the turning of pain and loss into art that makes A Rooted Sorrow a personal experience. Creating sumptuous soundscapes with just a piano and voice, it is the silence that weigh’s heavy on the soul. Beautiful yet also harrowing. They are lullabies that are honest and heartfelt, tangible, the strings bowing to the emotion within. ‘’ Уныние (Despondency)’’ and ‘’ Угасание (Extinction) are the echoes of reflection, reveries to the suffering endured. Wistful and full of longing ambience ‘’ I'm numb in my Grief ‘’is the penultimate captivating crescendo before it leads into the coda that is ‘’ Exhausted Quietude’’.
Exquisite is not a word used lightly but it is the only possible descriptor for vocals that are whispered spoken and sung gently. Never needing volume or anger to project the immense feelings within each track that is created with such devotion and purity it is impossible to not get sept up into its gentle melodies and dulcet tones that honour the subject matter within. Quite simply A Rooted Sorrow is a beautiful record that touches you gently yet lasts indefinitely; it is the passing of dreams and remembrance that is captivating and seductive.
Sorry… Self-inflicted Razor Cutting 9/10
Void has retuned on vocals after sitting out the experimental release of ‘’ “Innocence.Love. Sadness” of 2022. ‘’Self Inflicted Razor Cutting’’ is not only a return to their Black metal sounds but one of the heaviest offerings of the year.
Infinitely bleak, despairing and deeply impassioned Sorry. epitomise the hallmarks that Define DSBM. Perilous the ease in which tracks ‘’ “Lying in a Pool of Blood” are able to make the listener uncomfortable yet emotional highlights. It is heavier, the album is littered with blast beats yet ‘’ “Day of Uselessness” is a mid-paced journey of nihilism, and ‘’ 'A Tortured Sight and the Final Breath' contains a beautiful, brilliant melody that makes the experience harrowing and memorable. The recording is excellent and the flowing nature of all instruments working as one combine to create a unifying conglomeration of sounds that match the utterly bleak atmosphere within. ‘’ Broken Promises’’ is as introspective as it senses of loss. Voids return on vocals encapsulates the feeling within and cannot be overstated, at times part instrument yet all emotion, his work is varied as is the bands growth ‘’ Window to Another Pointless Sunset’’ is particularly harrowing, the bass throbs in denial and their version of ‘’Never Reached Dreams’’ (Hanging Garden cover) is simply excellent.
Dripping in atmosphere and isolation closer ‘’ Path of Nothingness’’ is the coda of futility and pointlessness of existence. No path, no goal bereft of joy. Sorry… have been utterly committed to their craft and Self-inflicted Razor Cutting is a depressive offering from their collective past that pushes them forward and will be considered a classic within the genre.