Labels: Transcending Obscurity Records
Formats: CD/Digital
Release Date: 26 Oct 2018
Tracklist:
1. Malign Emanatio
2. Sepulchral Vault
3. Released From Life
4. Metanoia
5. Incorporeal Gate
In spite of all of the new bands that make it over the obscure underground metal trenches each year, we're still fascinated by bands that feature "members of". Often, you need more than two hands to count the bands they're in and the amount of albums they've released. Those opening lines may sound a little jaded and I guess in some ways they are but I'm by no means a closed minded person. Lifelost is a new one-man black metal project from the Basque region of Spain, featuring vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Phlegeton of brutal/tech death metallers Wormed. That is where the comparisons end though. "Dialogues From Beyond" is Lifelost's first album and as the artwork that adorns it suggests, it's not all rainbows and bunny rabbits.
Lifelost paints a picture through utter malice and aural savagery on “Dialogues From Beyond”. Opening song Malign Emanatio is filled with intense blasts and riffs, while the vocals sit within the mix creating a haunting and uneasy atmosphere. The melody created by the guitar work is hypnotising and the cries mid-way through add a glimpse of DSBM, though Lifelost isn’t predominantly so. The abrupt ending to Malign Emanatio says a lot about the straight-forward, no messing nature of Phlegeton and Sepulchral Vault does nothing to diminish that. While the volume of the song may seem slightly lower, the layers of black metal created are more than effective in weaving claustrophobia into the listeners psyche.
Released From Life conjures up all kinds of mental images thanks to it’s title alone. The music itself only makes those images more vivid with extremely adept and engaging instrumentation that adds a slight catchiness to e song. Like the rest of the album, it’s refreshingly precise and there’s no room for overblown song-lengths. So much so, that it’s sort of over before its begun. Metanoia is probably the most ambient song on “Dialogues From Beyond” and it does signal a slight shift in dynamics. There isn’t the intense barrage that greeted you earlier in the album and while it’s still heavy, everything feels slightly more foreboding and even melancholy. Ending with the off-kilter Incorporeal Gate, Lifelost performs one that uncomfortable hymn built this time around sound-clash that’s jarring and slightly avant-garde in nature.
There’s no denying this album’s quality. The individual behind it may be a seasoned musical hand yet that’s no reason to be cynical. Approach it for what it is, which is a black metal album that’s filled with promise and extremely well-written music. Let’s hope that Lifelost doesn’t stop here.
You can stream Released From Life below via bandcamp:-
"Dialogues From Beyond" is set for release on October 26th via Transcending Obscurity Records and you can pre-order it in both cd and digital formats above.
Lifelost - https://www.facebook.com/lifelostband/
Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords
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