Today, we’re going to be talking a lot about space. I can’t recall when in my life this happened, but now every sub-genre of Metal needs to have a handful of bands that explore space from all sorts of directions. So, what better way to celebrate our obsession with this nerdy subject than by reviewing LanzerRath / Shroud of Despondency‘s latest Split? It almost escaped me, but I managed to catch the promo before it withered away in my email box. So, shall we?
Black Metal is becoming increasingly saturated with “space” bands. We have Mare Cognitum, Vorga, and Darkspace, just to name some of the most successful ones. It makes sense LanzerRath / Shroud of Despondency have joined forces to face the horrors of the cosmos. There’s, without a doubt, a clear sense of ambition here. The same you have every December 31st when doing your year resolutions, the difference is that these people actually delivered something respectable by the next winter (or summer if you live south).
I must say my expectations were low for this EP, but I was still surprised to some degree. Both acts propose different visions of what awaits us in the stars: Shroud of Despondency has an adventurous and dynamic proposal, reminiscent of watching all the cosmic violence in awe, whereas LanzerRath makes you feel the loneliness of being so insignificant in our enormous universe. However, you might be wondering if moshing together contrasting ideas like this would work out, and it’s a valid question, my innocent corpse-painted child. I won’t lie to you, it can feel a bit schizophrenic, but maybe that’s your vibe.
There are some production limitations in this EP. I know that many of you would love if all Black Metal sounded like a rotten potato, but it’s extremely hard to make such rawness sound great. LanzerRath / Shroud of Despondency aren’t to that extreme, but there’s clearly a decision to make things sound old school, especially in LanzerRath‘s half. Perhaps the intent was to evoke the sheer size of the cosmos (like Vorga does), but to me, it sounds closer to this than that. Also, the track length is daunting, it’s not Monolithe, but it’s trying! Therefore, I’ll need you to be patient, which, if I trust the blog’s stats, is unlikely.
This release does offer something different from your typical “space” Metal. Sure, it has the usual tropes we find in modern Black Metal, but you’ll find more than just the atmosphere here. Now go back to failing your last New Year’s resolutions in peace.
Label: Northern Spire Productions
Release date: 10 may, 2024
Website: https://lanzerrath.bandcamp.com/album/shroud-of-despondency-lanzerrath-split
Country: USA
Score: 3.0/5.0
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