EXILED FROM LIGHT : DESCENDING FURTHER INTO NOTHINGNESS
Hypnotic Dirge Records
Exiled from Light is a depressive black metal project which comes courtesy of one Mort, a prolific New Zealander who also spreads his misery via acts Winds of Sorrow and When Mine Eyes Blacken. Anything with the label ‘depressive’ is approached with some trepidation these days, as the welter of ‘bands’ pushing this style over the past few years has been immense, often characterised by scant quality control and much derivation. Still, it would be foolish to turn away from all who continue to fly the flag of despondency, because there are still so many treasures issuing from the depths of the world’s collective suicidal mania. Exiled from Light are one of them.
What makes “Descending Further Into Nothingness” particularly engaging and mood-reflecting is its able-handed balance between solid black metal elements and slow, cold ambience. Opening, on “Descending…”, with a deep, synthy drift, overlaid by almost twinkling movements and pulsing interference, Mort shows himself to be thoroughly at home in the ambient community; the reflective, powerful sweeps and tones with which he decorates tracks such as “Lurking Within Twilight” would not be out of place on many of the purely ambient releases we have reviewed this year, and their expressive, moving nature is a tribute to this artist’s ability to successfully straddle the two worlds, excelling in both rather than splitting his talents.
For the harsher, more metallic elements are strong too – rather than being a contrast to the melancholy synths, the tortured guitars actually help to build the mood further, providing the kind of depth and snarl that ambience can’t always do alone. “Further Into Nothingness” is a great track for this, with the guitar’s anguished tone gradually becoming mired in the atmospheric backdrop, before some insistent percussion moves things along, paving the way for an impassioned, throat-rending vocal climax, Mort’s howl being pitched just the way the depressive black metal fan would want – incomprehensively desolate.
Despite the bite of the black metal movements, “Descending Further Into Nothingness” is an album in which to wallow in a kind of pre-suicide calm. Repetition renews the dark feelings, whilst subtle and clever re-use of the same or similar themes across the album gives the impression of movement, even if the destination ends up being back at the point of departure – a place of anguish and pain. An unostentatious and well-structured album, which should draw plenty of admirers from amongst the melancholy and the imaginative.
78/100
ELLEN SIMPSON
