The Thurible Reviews: Mire of Despondency/Omen Ov Torment - "December Winds and Luciferian Mists"

I really, really hated giving Mire of Despondency an unfavorable review last time. I mean, Nokturnus is in high school. Unless your name is Pyha, chances are you're still developing and growing as an artist at that age—I'm certainly glad no one reviewed anything I released in high school. And yet here we are again, reviewing another release from this gloomy Pennsylvania teenager. Why?

Because Mire of Despondency has the makings of a great black metal artist, and I'm going to keep criticizing her until she realizes that potential.

Fortunately, December Winds and Luciferian Mists, a split with San Diego's Omen Ov Tormet, surpasses Loch of the Degenerate Realm by every standard. The musicianship has improved significantly. Mire plays to her strengths much more effectively than on her last split, giving the melancholy melodies and plaintive vocals center stage on tracks like "Todesgalxia" and "Crystalline Castles." The drumming, a major weakness on Loch of the Degenerate Realm, functions much better and feels much more dynamic.

"Demise of Lugubriosity" steals the show, combining beautiful, evocative melodies with Mire's woeful shrieks in an outstanding union of all musical elements. This is a genuinely excellent piece of atmospheric black metal—no caveats or qualifications. It sold me the album.

The production still leaves a little to be desired. The shrieks still occasionally drown out the rest of the mix, and certain instruments (usually keyboards) tend to protrude over the others. Mire of Despondency continues to favor a lofi style on this split, and while it works well for her repetitive, atmospheric style, lofi black metal is an art in itself and Mire has yet to fully master it.

One of the benefits of the shrieking style employed by black metal artists is that you don't have to hear their (usually silly) lyrics. Omen Ov Torment (not to be confused with Oven Ov Torment, a great name for a black metal cooking show) apparently missed the memo on that one, because his very silly lyrics are plainly discernible throughout "Visions of Future Truth." It's not a particularly engaging track overall, and the earnest yet prosaic blasphemies ("Satan has won!") only distract from an otherwise forgettable (and much too long) piece of Leviathan pastiche.

"Luciferian Mists" dials down on the campy speak-screaming and focuses on the frosty riffs for a much stronger result. It's a more traditional, less USBM-influenced track, but still a good one. I'll never pass up a grim and gloomy atmosphere done well.

December Winds and Luciferian Mists certainly has its moments. It's amateurish, to be sure, but we kinda like that in the grim world of Internet black metal. And at $3 for around 40 minutes of black metal, it's not a bad buy. Check it out.

Recommended.