The Love Album – Volume I is the third offering from avant-garde black metallers As Light Dies, following on from their previous release in 2010, Ars Subtilior From Within The Cage and it’s a great album that really plays on the band’s strengths.
As things get going, it all feels like your standard black metal album as first full track Orpheus Mourning gets underway, with dark-sounding guttural vocals and a furious driving force from the guitars – but then the clean vocals kick in. At first, they almost sound out of place amidst the noise and chaos, but as the song progresses, the way they just fit in becomes more and more apparent. It’s certainly a more unique approach and makes for a refreshing listen as a result. There are too many bands all doing the same thing when it comes to black metal, so for a band to be a bit more adventurous is really good.
Your Wake is a perhaps the strongest track of the album, featuring powerful and meaty harsh vocals to begin with atop of intense instrumentation, before a softer section in the middle that is complemented well with clean vocals afterwards and a rather majestic-sounding guitar solo. Everything gels together fantastically and it really is something to behold.
It’s always good when a band isn’t afraid to step outside the box and be a bit more adventurous, and that’s exactly what As Light Dies have done with The Love Album – Volume I. A highly recommended release.
8/10
