Season Of Mist - 2019
9.5/10
With the U.S. black metal (with gothic leanings) Cloak preparing to release a new record, I did what I always do; go back in time to refresh my memory! It’s always fun when something causes me to hear something I haven’t in a while, especially when re-discovering something within my own CD collection that got shelved in the endless depths of stuff I’ve bought over the years. This takes us to 2019’s The Burning Dawn, a fierce disc that does everything I enjoy about black metal with its own tricks to stand out tremendously. It took a few spins to understand the “gothic” tag, but it turns out that it’s been right in front of my face the entire time, being what helped it stand out in the first place.
One could argue that melody makes up a great deal of the standout factors, but this alone is only the surface-level part of the equation. For one, the snarling, blackened vocals are still concise as ever, fitting the rhythms beautifully, and both are clean enough to compliment each other but not so much that overproduction crushes all senses of uniqueness. Furthermore, the light, airy guitars that have a melancholic undertone have an equally heavy impact, sneaking into the background behind blistering riffs. You’ll get a taste of this right away, most apparent in the solo of “The Cleansing Fire.”
What’s extra nice about Cloak is that they have multiple angles to utilize this from, and that melodic topping fits wonderfully in all of them. Dooming out is not out of the question at all, raking in some super devious tones in “Lifeless Silence.“ Crushing drum clashes alongside doom riffs and cold, croaking vocals not far from the likes of Abbath cast such an unforgiving feeling that the title suggests. Just the same, songs like “Into The Storm” deliver a harsher gradient of aggressive percussion and darker delivery under a fast scope, yet it never feels out of place. Managing that and having a strong sense of memorability takes some serious talent.
Somewhere between the lines also lies steadier tracks that inject the sadder elements into the firm black metal structure, showcased on “A Voice In The Night,” giving a larger helping of emotion. Acoustic guitars are even utilized to a wonderful effect, and the phases of this song feel so natural. The closest we get to sheer calmness comes in the beautiful instrumental “The Fire, The Faith, The Void” with its steady gallops and welcoming progression. Closer “Where The Horrors Thrive” douses us in a little bit of everything, tying in with an epic soundscape that impresses itself into us as we take the last exit.
The Burning Dawn is a fantastic culmination of black metal with other metal influences, gothic undertones, emotion, and lyrical clarity. When this genre sits on the side of something easier to ingest, I tend to gravitate towards it. When it adds several layers to make itself even more unique, I tend to fall in love with it. This isn’t a phrase I like to use a lot, but it’s black metal for people who don’t like black metal, even though I’ve grown to like it these days. There’s almost fifty minutes of music, and every bit of it is worth your time.
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