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.

The Thurible Reviews: UltraSuicide/Mire of Despondency - "Loch of the Degenerate Realm"

God knows what the point of the digital split is, but UltraSuicide and Mire of Despodency, two relative newcomers to the depressive black metal scene, decided the world needs another.

Loch of the Degenerate Realm begins with "Abyssal Depravity," the only collaborative track in the split. Thane of UltraSuicide, who produced the entire effort, captures the traditional black metal rawness effectively on this track with his frenetic drumming and heavily distorted riffs. Thane's screams are harsh and throaty, contrasting with Nokturnus of Mire of Despondency's plaintive shrieks. The mix on "Abyssal Depravity" tends to the cacophonous, and the song's meandering structure starts a trend that continues with the next five tracks. On "Axis of Mind," Thane's clumsy, frantic drumming augments the rawness he's trying to convey, but just as often its first-take quality proves merely distracting. "Seeing Misery" presents a slower and more accessible version of UltraSuicide's sound while still embodying Thane's loosely structured and aggressive style of depressive black metal. The final track on UltraSuicide's half of the split, "Dying Mental Dream," includes an unexpected atmospheric passage before returning abruptly to screeching raw black metal riffs and Thane's discordant howls.

Mire of Despondency's debut album, Sorrow Is A Void, hit all the worst bedroom black metal notes with its shoddy production, synthesized guitars, ambient meandering, and general amateurism. Nokturnus' second stab at black metal benefits from Thane's more competent mixing and a more straightforward songwriting approach, but it still feels green and still suffers from repetitive, manifestly artificial guitar riffs. Nokturnus' shrieks, which have improved significantly, compete with the music on "Apnea," and the problem continues throughout her half of the split. The drums, which often consist of a single kick or snare looped for the entire song, never fit well into the mix, especially on tracks like "Reaping Moon." Nearly every transition includes a jarring shift in production style and quality.

The final three songs of the split measure up much better. Nokturnus can write haunting, beautiful black metal melodies when she doesn't ruin them with artificial guitars and excessive reverb. The keys that drive "Lorn Path" and "Tenebrous Void" communicate Mire of Despondency's potential more effectively than the guitars of "Apnea" or "Pennsylvanian Winter," but there are glimmers of genuinely poignant black metal music on every track. Closer "Celestia" thankfully dispenses with the most aggravating elements of Mire of Despondency's sound in favor of a lone echoing strum to complement Nokturnus' mournful shrieks.

Genre fans of raw depressive black metal might find UltraSuicide's contribution to the split a worthwhile listen. Mire of Despondency's half is more frustrating. Nokturnus has talent as a songwriter, a pretty good shriek, and she composes what could be excellent atmospheric black metal if she could only dispense with the irritating midi guitar riffs, balance the mix, and make better use of synths and keys. As it is, Loch of the Degenerate Realm is a deeply imperfect record, a baffling mix good to average songwriting and very poor production and mixing decisions.

Not Recommended.