Only Southern Lord would have the balls to nurture and support this album: a confluence of American black metal's most radical composers, working under the single heading of
Twilight. Frankly, it's amazing this five-headed hydra (consisting of the normally self-sufficient demons behind cult favorites
Xasthur, Krieg,
Nachtmystium, Draguar,
Leviathan, and
Lurker of Chalice) didn't simply self-combust, Norwegian church-like, in a blaze of Satanic glory; but, no, they managed to connive their dark artistry into nine tracks and a wide range of black metal sub-strains visited herewith. These range from the impenetrably dissonant,
Blut Aus Nord-like barrage of "Woe Is the Contagion," to the conversely zombie-paced advance of "Larval Liaise" and the tortuously unending, gothic-tinged "Winter Before," to the relatively more "traditional," high-speed but still melody-inflected Scandinavian blueprint exercised in "White Fire Under Black Text," "Hopeless Etheride," and "Swollen Voices in Silence." All of these are characterized by intentionally lo-fi production and recording standards for that authentic, old-school
Venom/
Sarcofago/
Darkthrone feel, dig? Occasional, ghostly background synths, in fact, are as digitally advanced and sophisticated as these analog-worshipping sessions get, as their primal thrust remains locked in on raw guitars, bass, and drums, and animalistic grunts and ragged screams for vocals. With not a dull moment to be had from start to finish, dishonorable mention also goes to "Exact Agony, Take Life" (with its oddly swing-dancing back-and-forth riffs), "As the March of Worms" (which unexpectedly transforms from a storming assault into haunting layered melodies), and the final epic of majestic dread that is "Beyond Light (Beautiful and Malignant)." All told, these nihilistic nuggets foment an oppressive, claustrophobic, soul-sapping listening experience, which, like the best black metal, speaks to one's most masochistic instincts while somehow encouraging the purest form of emotional and aggressive catharsis. In sum, a new black mass for all the evil boys and girls to enjoy. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia