This is not the first time that I have encountered Anhedonia “inability to feel pleasure in normally pleasurable activities” in the music we feature or indeed in life Itself. Another tried and tested subject matter Lifeless have at the heart of their concept is Aokigahara forest in Japan, the “suicide forest.” I have already made thoughts on that clear in another recent review and we are I guess more on the fringes of that place here than in the thick of its trees. As is pointed out we are more in a metaphorical “forest in which we lose ourselves when we try to drown every memory that hurts us second by second.” Of-course this is not going to be happy stuff.
Lifeless themselves started out in Mexico by Nergot but have spread their fronds since debut album ‘Inner Shouts from a Sad Soul’ back in 2015. Now an international act Nergot is joined by Italian Kjiel on guitars and backing vocals along with Colombian Hypothermia on lead vocals, piano and lyrics. Together they have made quite an epic album here and grief is ladled out in no short measures over its 71-minute running time. Piano takes centre stage as ‘Emp-Ti-Ness’ acts as a sort of intro piece with mournful melody and spoken words flat and emotionless. Pure DSBM is at the heart of it all and we wait for things to fully get underway. ‘Ashes of Hopes and Dreams’ sees a sudden sharpness that catches slightly off guard with the treble heavy heft of the music along with Hypothermia’s piercing screams. I almost jumped out my skin the first time this track got fully underway and it takes a little getting used to. The other question it poses is can two ladies vocally perform as per the tradition of “beauty and the beast,” here the answer is certainly yes. Kjiel’s delicate backing warbles are the definite beauty here and Hypothermia the wretched hateful anguish; if anything, the latter reminds of Gallhammer’s Vivian Slaughter. Tracks go from around the 5 to 16-minute mark and weave their web slowly. Do not go expecting fast music here, it’s more ponderous in nature and totally depressive. The black side of things is more from the vocals whereas the music takes in everything from shoegaze to gothic and post-black, there are melodies that would not be out of place on an album like The Cure’s Disintegration. There are some surges and blastsbeats littering things at times. A song like ‘Trapped in the Void’ leads to a sense of calm numbness before suddenly exploding with hostility. The main vocals are quite incessant and follow every step of the way, the emotion portrayed really is quite harrowing and they are what will define your acceptance (a better word than enjoyment in this case) of the album as a whole. To be fair it is pointed out that the project was borne from a dedication “to all who are in that terminal state full of suicide [sic] thoughts,” so anyone entering this shrouded place does so entirely at their own risk.
The length is another major stumbling block although it has to be said the album all flows together well and does not seem as exhaustive as one may expect. Moods and emotions that are portrayed are suffered for as long as life itself once they hit and can’t be easily shifted and one cannot begrudge the length due to this and if anything, there is an honesty about it all. I would have liked to see the lyrics personally, perhaps they are in the CD booklet or maybe kept personal to Hypothermia herself. Track titles like ‘Giving Up Everything’ and the title number give all the insight that I guess we need here and the music does a very good job of everything else. It’s very easy to lose yourself in this forest, some come out of it by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the mind and thankfully find a way out; others sadly do not. The album is not here to provide any clear answers just to provide a state of fragile minds. For those who can take its diametrical opposing emotions of solace and anguish it certainly speaks louder than mere words…
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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