Tenacious but wholly lacking Spectral Lore’s latest release is an indirect love letter to the early black metal sound without any bite, and although varied it’s indistinctness is a cacophony about as progressive as a political monologue.
The album does have merits. The atmosphere it carefully builds fetors into something like indulgent soundtrack material that would suit a horror themed monster movie. However as meticulous as the scene setting is on this ghastly dereliction it’s manipulated without purpose. Leaving a hollow space without any meaningful decoration. The liberal hammering often used throughout stands as testament to its lackluster nature. Leaving the impression that there’s not much substance to the whole piece.
Ad Noisome; there are some good riffs hidden between the bland effortlessness contained within the prog-like structure although the deliberation in their movement impedes these moments from taking the risk of running with wolves. It does go on, and on, at a slovenly pace that’s lenient without reason.
It’s with a vanilla scent that tends to linger without a proper emphasis where Gnosis is swamped away by a sea of white noise. The tedium does abate and the clean parts are executed excellently, they are slight and picturesque, but the interjection of power riffs take this mythos away leaving the opus husky and tired.
5/10
