Metalcatto
I was almost sure Lugubrious Garment was just another Death Metal band trying to make a living off our nostalgia for dirty riffs and crusty production. Even the artwork for In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night screams rancid riffs 24/7, with little else besides rage and bad decisions. Maybe they’ll surprise us, maybe they’ll disappoint us, but who cares? Ah, right. I should. Let’s get to it.
Alright, I’ll give them one compliment. Lugubrious Garment has something in common with Instetis Baalism: you get two minutes of the most standard 1996 Death Metal imaginable, only for the song to transform into one of the most melodic, dramatic, and even creative outros I’ve heard in the last few weeks. It’s difficult to judge an album when every track seems to have a completely different way of resolving its tension. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
A lot of the credit goes to the band’s guitar work, which delivers brutality and melody in equal measure. It’s not easy to pull off both without making one feel like an afterthought, but Lugubrious Garment manages to do it rather well. The production is kind of disgusting, but not to the point where it becomes a problem. You can live with this slightly schizophrenic experience. It was fun! That’s not something I can usually say about this particular corner of the genre. But now, let’s talk about the problems.
There aren’t many, but I feel Lugubrious Garment is still bound by Death Metal tradition. I’d love to see the band lean harder into what makes them interesting as the album progresses. There’s too much playing it safe here, and I’m left wanting them to embrace even more madness and throw it right back at us. It took me until roughly halfway through the album to fully understand what the band was going for. We could have gotten to the fun part a little sooner.
So, it’s good! In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night has more to offer than your average old-school Death Metal derivative fest. The band is actually trying, people! Give this album a chance, because it bends the rules a little without going completely off the rails. And before you ask, yes, you can hear the bass. What more do you need for a good round of Death Metal?
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Release date: October 16th, 2026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Lugubrious-Garment-61581118918912
Country: Italy
Score: 3.5/5.0
