Metalcatto
Honestly, when I heard this was an Atmospheric Black Metal promo, my first reaction was “noooooooo.” After I managed to recover from my panic attack, I gathered the courage to click play and give Gemynd Beadu a chance. How sad can it be if the title is Continued Degradation of Life? Okay, it sounds grim, but does it sound grim? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Alright, alright. Continued has more meat on the bones than I expected, which means there are plenty of depressing and well-put-together riffs that elevate the atmosphere beyond just boring repetition. Especially in the first tracks, you can really feel the pain of existence consuming you slowly and the lack of decent purpose crushing your soul. Happy stuff, you know. You can also expect all the weird background noise most of these albums have, but here it’s mostly done with control. The production doesn’t drown in its own murk.
Are the tracks long atmospheric trips? In particular, yes, especially as Continued moves forward. The later part of the album becomes more and more experimental, as if the atmosphere itself is harder to breathe in. You need to be ready for a long ride, because this thing will make you take your time to cry your eyes out. The vocals are just another gurgling noise in the background, which I honestly appreciate. They blend in so well with the style that they become texture rather than a focal point.
Now, this is still the kind of album that makes me wonder what the point of life is. That would be fine if it weren’t for the whopping slow pace of this thing. I know, people, it’s the atmosphere, but it’s just hard to keep the energy of the first half through this whole ordeal. As usual, more direct writing could elevate this release. What if it kills the vibe? That’s okay. Not every Atmospheric Black Metal album has to feel like breathing glue inside a plastic bag. Sometimes you can let a little air in.
Overall, I was expecting to be tortured by Gemynd Beadu, but it ended up being an interesting dive into an often ridiculed niche. Sure, it has a lot of the excesses Atmospheric Black Metal is known for—lengthy passages, repetitive structures, a general sense of doom—but if you’re willing to have some patience and aren’t easily bummed out, then this album can show you something to either appreciate or straight out hate life. Either way, it accomplishes what it sets out to do. That’s more than I can say for most records in this subgenre.
Label: Schaden Collective
Release date: Mach, 2026
Website: https://gemyndbeadu.bandcamp.com/album/continued-degradation-of-life
Country: Australia
Score: 3.0/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 