Conditions are stormy in Belgium. This is where Drawn into Descent come from with their “rugged” black metal.
“Elude” captures the scene. Patient, yet epic in its post metal ring, it has an air of Cult of Luna about it. The guitarist deviates from the template with a solo section but the constancy is always there. The atmosphere is broken up when the track fires off into more traditional-sounding black metal. I lost my sense of direction, especially when “Solitude” cut in with more patient chords. It builds up into what seemed to be a more powerful version of the first track. The vocalist growls desperately and there’s undoubtedly an atmosphere being developed here. Nine and half minutes allows enough time to create a whirlwind, and it doesn’t really do that but I admire it for its power.
“The Realm of Unbecoming” blazes away lingeringly but essentially is the same scenario as what has gone previously. As the album wore on, I found I was hearing more of the same, with occasional break-out passages into heavy melancholic reflections. Impressive as they were, it was like a grey day where the clouds may change but the overall atmosphere doesn’t. The most tangential section occurs towards the end of the final track “Gallows”, as the scene becomes more urgent, but for me this had all become an exercise in technical patterns rather than any sort of life-changing experience.
In terms of ticking boxes, the album “Drawn into Descent” covers all the elements you’d want from a black metal album with post metal orientations. That’s what the band Drawn into Descent can do, and they do it efficiently and powerfully. What this album lacked for me was originality or a creative expression, which elevated it above the status of a decent listen.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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