Lost Inside – Mourning wept beside me
Lost Inside, for those who haven’t run into them before, is a musical project born in the US, made of Kold and Surtur (2011), two members that are also involved in other DSBM projects, for example Means to an end, Winder of Silence, Drowning, etc – so, it might as well be said that they have quite a background when it comes to black metal that awakens dark emotions.
“Mourning wept beside me” is, to my surprise, the second full length album that appeared in 2011. I always have some retentions when it comes to bands that release more albums a year or are involved in more musical projects of the same genre, and this time happens because I think that a different album that’s also impressive cannot be produced all over again from a band to another.
Lost Inside has managed to surprise me with a demo released in 2009 – “Never Again”.. a DSBM album that’s pretty standard, without too many arabesques, but well made and pretty knotted.
However, in my background research, I discovered that this band experiments pretty much, they don’t follow the same line from an album to another, for instance, Sullen Reflections is purely instrumental, while Hearts will Grow Heavy has some influence of shoegaze and post black.

“Mourning wept beside me” is something very similar to what I heard from Benighted in Sodom, a depressive black metal that’s more atmospheric and that’s pretty plain, with no sudden ruptures of rhythm or alert moments.
The production fits the style, a rather harsh and cold sound. The riff part reminds me of BiS the most, not very diversified, very repetitive and down tempo, 2-3 riffs that expand sometimes from an edge to the other of the track.
DSBM is usually best felt through the way that the vocals send further those emotions and states of mind, and at this chapter, “Mourning wept beside me” isn’t all that great. The vocals, even if sometimes suited to the track, they lack honesty. When it comes to variety and the way that it’s interpreted, I can’t say it is a total failure, but it simply doesn’t succeed to communicate those emotions just as strongly, they seem very standard to me, and some of them should not be there.
The drumming is standard, slow tempo and with repetitive beats. There are some moments when a tiny rupture of rhythm is present, but all in all, they’re repetitive.
The album manages to create a grey atmosphere, to awaken your interest at times, but I don’t think it’s enough. Something lacks, the album feels too plain, too similar as an unit. I firmly believe that if it was possible, Dusktone should’ve released “Hearts will Grow Heavy” on the market instead of “Mourning wept Beside me”.
If you enjoy more the atmospheric part, rather than the harsh, cold, painfull extreme parts in depressive black metal then you’ll enjoy the album.
Rating 6.5 / 10
Tracks
1. Bewildered
2. A ghost among people
3. Four walls and a restless shadow
4. Like a wilted flower
5. Feed on tears
References:
www.lostinsideofficial.blogspot.com
Physical review copy of this release provided by:
Dusktone Records.
Acrosome – Dementia Praecox
Acrosome, formed, surrounded by two “shining souls” ( D.A and D.Y ) and contrary to most people’s expectations, they’re from a zone that many people consider exotic when it comes to extreme metal. However, Turkey (their former country, yes), has managed to surprise me with one of the darkest and most brutal bands of depressive/ extreme black metal. ( beside Acrosome, i should also remind you of Cragataska, Sociopath, Zenith Maudlin, Valefor, The Sarcophagus).
Acrosome showed up online in 2010, but the official release of the mini-cd called “Dementia Praecox” happened in May 2011 through the label Dusktone.

The first insight for the album, without even listening to it will be from the name of Acrosomes MCD. Dementia praecox ( premature dementia or precocious madness ) refers to a chronic, deteriorating psychopathic disorder, a specific disease concept that implies incurable, unexplained madness.
The album consists in shorter track lengths, shorter than we’re used with but this is not necessary a bad thing. It starts with an intro of 2 minutes “Onsoz”, a pretty typical and often encountered intro; Dark, cold and atmospheric, supported by a very sinister spoken vocal part. The passage that leads to the part of extreme metal is made directly from the end of the intro to the second song, “Farkindalik Reaksiyonu”, a track that has all the elements of DSBM: moving screams, not too fast drums, but pretty heavy and a continuous passage of keys that create a grim and gloomy atmosphere. The bad part in this story is that the track is shorter than the intro and I mean around 2 minutes.
The album tends to be a very dark one, it creates an image that you usually see (if you have the luck or the bad luck, depends on how you see the things..) in a sanatorium. “Dementia praecox” is full of bizarre structures, ambiental black metal, a combination of cold, atmospheric passages and chaotic, ravishing ones, with hard riffs and slow ones as well. ( especially in Reaksiyonel Idea, a track that you can easily classify as funeral doom) and vocals similar to Silencer (though, not that extreme). The emphasis is put on this side of ‘ behavioural disorder ‘, mental disease, and this thing can be seen in the parts that are dominated by that vocal type mentioned earlier.
… a well made prescription for an album with the name of “Dementia praecox”.
I would also have a minor minus to add to this mini CD, at the production part, it has a pretty clean production quality to it, but some tracks give the impression that they’re only small fragments and because of this the passage from one track to another is sometimes made quite sharply. It gives you the impression that it’s a raw material that needs to be finished. The songs that are based on spoken passages and an ambiental black metal, “Önsöz”, “DP 1898″, “Doktora”, tent to “cut” the album from its roots, the depressive metal one. In the end I don’t think that even half of the album is pure depressive black metal, the rest is focused on the cold atmospheric parts.
All in all, Dementia Praecox is far from a bad album and is definitely worth checking out.
Rating : 7.5 / 10
Tracklist:
1. Onsoz
2. Farkindalik Reaksiyonu
3. DP 1898
4. Doktora
5. Reaksiyonel Idea
6. Atenor
7. Acrosome
8. Sonsoz
Physical review copy of this release provided by:
Dusktone Records.
References:
www.dusktone.eu
www.myspace.com/acrosometr
Beyond Helvete – Self Therapy
Beyond Helvete
Country: Germany
Style: Depressive Black Metal
Label: Dusktone

Considering the German origin of Beyond Helvete, one might say it has an advantage over other bands. Lately, Germany has been having a very active underground metal scene that left deep scars in the DSBM area through bands like Sterbend, Coldworld, Anti, Bethlehem, etc.
Nonetheless, however underground you may call this subgenre of black metal, DSBM has lately dealt with a popularity boom among the bands, thus looking for and finding something original sometimes give you a headache.
According to the info sheet, the album Self Therpy could be looked upon as ‘’a journey through yourself’’ and when talking about deep emotional black metal, this journey couldn’t be otherwise than gloomy, misanthropic and negative.
The highlight of deep emotional black metal is the way Natrgaard makes use of his voice along the album; it is a twisted and painful sound, quite atypical even for a DSBM band, but at least it sounds unique.
It is probably the only aspect that makes a difference compared to other black metal albums, even if the album is well organized and produced.
Musically, the album tends towards a traditional black metal on tracks like Fears and, here and there, towards Shining influences, especially due to the way more rock and metal styles are mingled.
Structurally, the songs encompass alternating slow rhythm, monotonous riffs and dark atmosphere with brutal passages and aggressive riffs. The transition between passages is made through acoustic tricks.
Broadly speaking, Self Therapy creates a foray in a dark and anguished world and all you can hear is the direct result of these feelings; it reflects emotions, feelings and bleak, negative thoughts. It is an album that can be taken in after several listenings, it doesn’t bring many changes to the genre, but the vocals are something you need to accommodate with. On the whole, it as a well done album and very emotional in a dark and black metal way.
Format: 6 panel / Digipack CD
Tracklist:
Soul Reflection
Self Therapy
Fears
Confession
A nameless desire
The More I Know
Rating: 7.5
+ Soul Reflection, Self Therapy, The More I know
Lifelover – Sjukdom (review)
Sjukdom, meaning disease or sickness in Swedish, prepares you from the very start for a sick experience. It doesn’t really give you other options, but this darkened one, specific to Lifelover.
I wasn’t expecting great differences from the other albums, or, should I say, not differences that are accurate enough to drag your attention from the first track, but they do exist, and they’re quite obvious.

Sjukdom, even if it has quite a number of fragments similar to older albums, on “Pulver” and “Erotik”, to be more precise, this is a way darker and more aggressive album than the previous ones. Sure, it might not always have that depressive atmosphere encountered in the past, but we have our share of a really dark and sick atmosphere, also appealing melodies that really invite you to experience this “disease”.
The album itself is pretty long, but only because of the number of the tracks, 14 of them (the total playing time being about 1 hour). The way in which the rhythm changes from one song to another, this state of madness and the total number of the tracks make it hard to focus on just one song.
The way in which Kim uses his voice on this album differs too, being different from what we heard on Pulver and Erotik. The voice is quite hysterical and unstable, there isn’t something stable and sure from one edge to the other, which isn’t normal. There are passages in which you have a clear monologue, able to look into, and in the following moment there are changes from those moments of clean vocals to growls, chaotic screams, aggressive, low, tones .. Specific to a mad man and this is just what the doctor ordered.
The treatment to this sickness can be:
Expandera, which is the metal central dialogue of the album, a mixture between Erotik and Konkurs. The riffs are more varied, from aggressive tones, to slower ones, sustained in the background by a repetitive passage of keys.
Doften av Tomhet is superb, it has three musical segments, capable to plunge you into 3 different states. The beginning is very rough and aggressive, distorted riffs, low, slow drum beats and a clean voice of Kim. One minute from the beginning of the track, the keys make their entrance, it’s only a short passage that would somewhat offer the sensation of calmness, though the keys only lead to a transition to the next part of the song, a faster, harsher part, through its riffs, vocals and drums. Around the end, a third part, to call it that way, a trace of punk elements through the rhythm of the drums, a clear distinction from the beginning of the song, that, gradually, come back towards normality and mix with the two parts from the beginning.
Totus Anctus is another track that stays printed in your mind. The beginning is alert and aggressive, but immediately, we reencounter that slow passage, clear, pinched riffs, and Kim’s clean voice. Though, compared to other tracks, this passage is rather short. It only matches that alert and aggressive one in the beginning of the song. It’s a game of rhythms, rather, from something slower to something more aggressive. In all, this song reminds me of Shining, probably because of the way in which he uses his voice in this song.
Bitterljuv Kakofoni, this is a song that really must be listened to, there are little things that can be said about it, it’s simply demential. (in the both meanings of the word)
You should also pay attention to Horans Hora, Svart Galla, and, about the rest of the tracks, they didn’t really drag my attention.
It’s an album that belongs to the new wave of depressive black metal, an album with sudden changes of rhythm from one track to another, fast passages, slower ones, histerical screams, harsh vocals, it gives you the sensation of a short visit in a hospital for mental disorders and, believe me, it’s an intense visit, and without meds.
Rating : 8 / 10

Digital copy provided by : Prophecyproductions.de
TRACKLIST:
1. Svart Galla
2. Led By Misfortune
3. Expandera
4. Homicidal Tendencies
5. Resignation
6. Doften Av Tomhet
7. Totus Anctus
8. Horans Hora
9. Bitterljuv Kakofoni
10. Becksvart Frustration
11. Nedvaknande
12. Instrumental Asylum
13. Utdrag
14. Karma
Windbruch – Collision of the Worlds [2010]
Windbruch – Collision of the Worlds
Genre(s) – Depressive black metal, atmospheric
Russia
Label: Sun & Moon Records

Windbruch (meaning wind break/fracture) is a Russian one man band that was born in the freezing part of Russia, more exactly in the town of Nizhnevartovsk, a region well known for temperatures that go under -50 C in winter. With such harsh winters, you don’t really have anything left but to contemplate about what’s happening around you, to watch the things and the states beyond the apparent.
Windbruch, mostly, approaches an atmospheric, melancholic black metal, with some folk influences sprinkled in several parts, but only because of the acoustic fragments. The debut album, ”Collision of the Worlds” tries to cover a little bit from all these states of mind and ideas, it’s a combination between melancholic moments, figments that lead you towards meditation, towards dreaming and dark, cold, moments.
“Collision of the Worlds” contains 7 tracks and a cover, every song corresponding to a day of the week ( day I to day VII ). This album is, actually, a part of the life of that man that fights with himself every single day, with the state of being he has, and surpresses very well this attempt at depassing his own condition. This fact is very noticeable from the names of the tracks: Day II (Inhale – Exhale), Day III (Onslaught), Day IV (On the edge) … Day VII ( Stairway to heaven).
Nonetheless, to leave this description of the album aside and to turn back to music, apart from the part of atmospheric black metal and a vicinity to post black metal / shoegaze (you name it). Influences from bands like Coldworld, Anti, Inferi. Lustre ( as far as black metal is concerned ) and something similar to Alcest, Hypomanie, Sleeping Peonies on the side of post black are visible.
The album itself is very well made, even though, concerning some parts, it may seem too ‘rich’ when it comes to passages from a more alert rhythm to a more atmospheric one (which, for some people may be alright). Look at the album as a path from point A to point B, and on the road you run into all sorts of obstacles.. actually, similar to our lives even, we are born, we run into problems, we solve them, others appear ( which leads to a continuous fight ) and afterwards, we die, which is, actually, silence.
“Collision of the worlds” is a good atmospheric black metal album, an album that deserves being listened to if you ever happen to come by it.
Tracklist:
Day I (With the Sunrise)
Day II ( Inhale – Exhale )
Day III (Onslaught)
Day IV (On the Edge)
Day V (She is forgotten)
Day VI (Collision of the worlds in your mind)
Day VII (Stairway to heaven)
Bonus Track
Rating: 8
Presentation: full colored booklet with 16 pages, jewel-case edition
Bardo – I
Bardo – I
Genre(s): Slow black metal / atmospheric / funeral doom
Hungary
Label: Valse Sinistre

Reading the information sheet, to name it this way, written by ”Valse Sinistre”, I have to say that my interest has grown remarkably, through the actual meaning and philosophy, actually, of the term ”bardo”, which seems to mean an ”in-between state”. And as a quote..
The first bardo* begins when we take birth and endures as long as we live.
The second is the bardo of dreams.
The third is the bardo of concentration or meditation.
The fifth is known as the bardo of the luminosity of the true nature.
The sixth is called the bardo of transmigration or karmic becoming.
Anyway, to start properly, Bardo is a funeral doom/slow black metal/atmospheric band from Hungary.. It’s the new band of Khrul, present in Funebre, Witchcraft, Marblebog, Vorkuta, etc. And today, I’m going to review their creation, ’1.’ . I honestly wonder if there’s a connection between the title and the first bardo*.
The EP contains five tracks. I’m going to review each of them, partly.
’0.’ is a very well thought introduction into the EP. I really liked the choir-like, atmospheric idea. Voices melting into void and giving the music a sacred notion with an organ playing in the background, even achieving choral perfection. Kudos for an awesome beginning.
’1.’, a gentle intrusion of something similar to Mors Principium Est’s ‘Lost Beyond Retrieval’ in a way, concerning the pallette of sounds. Apart from the beautiful atmosphere, I have found some monotony and some ruptures between fragments, but the depressive black metal sound is underlined and very noticeable, like a scream of distress, that occurs between unclear, harsh textures and calmer ones, in a way, more doom-like, ambiental even.. Calm, shoegaze influences fading into the background.
’2.’, rather improvisional. It’s similar to 1 at the beginning. Actually, from the beginning to around 2:22. Which isn’t really disturbing me on one side, because a connection is very nicely achieved, a similarity between tracks. The thing that kind of gets me down is the shade of monotonous. Though, a better passage for around 12 seconds, a texture that gives a very nice, calm atmosphere and then, another lighter texture that pretty much denies the whole musical line.. I found it slightly incongrous but then again, depressive black metal sounds that way to emphasise distress. I was pleasantly impressed by the shoegaze, post-rock atmosphere.. Followed by a brutal intrusion of a violent guitar, but a beautiful outburst, really.
’3.’, nice beginning. A tremolo in slight textures. Relaxing. But soon afterwards, in turns into a combination of 2 and 3, the band follows the same sound lines.. And as constructive criticism, change is always welcome. Though, I did hear an amazing guitar solo, a depressive one, in this song and it turns into melancholy, yet, a beautiful melancholy, like a voice flowing in the guitars. 2:06-2:32. That was the most remarkable thing I managed to hear in the album, amazing fragment through that simplicity itself. And even the guitar afterwards is decent and easy to listen to without thinking of the repetitions. It’s addictive, actually. And it starts to have emotion through maddening riffs and warped sounds.
’4.’, nice harmony. I enjoy the dimension of relaxation this band manages to create at times, some figments are really impressive. Symphonic sounds. Yet, again, I got the impression that a pitch of either anger, either calm would’ve made it sound better. It would’ve given it a spark.
In other words, I enjoyed this album and I’m pretty sure anyone would feel pleased, actually, after hearing these tracks for the first time.
Good job, guys. And honestly, the whole concept the band name flashes is amazing and it flashes potential and creativity.
Rating : 7,5
Moonlit Wake – Moonlit Wake Demo [2010]
Moonlit Wake – Moonlit Wake Demo [2010]
Genre(s): Atmospheric Black Metal, depressive black metal, shoegaze
Location LINDEN, Virginia, US
Record Label Unsigned
Most of the times, when we usually talk about Depressive black metal. atmospheric black metal, post-black metal, shoegaze bands (or other similar subgenres), we position them directly in Europe, without really seeing farther continents. Even if, as of late, this tendency started to be noticed very well in countries such as Canada, USA.
”Moonlit Wake” is one of those bands that haven’t been heard by a large audience, from those places where we believe that atmospheric, depressive black metal aren’t really listened to ( even if there are a lot of bands from the States that can prove us wrong ).

This ”project” was born at the beginning of 2008 and it contains a mixture of several genres that find their roots in atmospheric/depressive black metal. Also, post rock, ambient elements can be found there.. all of this making us think of bands like Alcest, Amesoeurs, early Katatonia, Draugluin and others.
The ”Moonlit Wake’‘ demo is a very good example of how well these genres/influences can lace together, of how easily you can pass from a state of mind of ”explosion, escape” to one that is bathed in melancholy, dreams and ethical calm.
The tracks are only instrumental, they are based on the idea of a slow, atmospheric black metal, they give you a sensation of continuous waiting, loneliness and melancholy. The more rhythmic moments are the ones that put more emphasis on depressive black metal ( for instance, at the end of the track named Enduring Faith, the beginning of Twilight ). The whole demo is, as a matter of fact, a ”game” between figments of atmospheric black metal, post rock and depressive black metal, ( very similar with the composition of: ”Ecailles De Lune” (Part I and II) from Alcest ), a ”game” that will certainly get you. And as far as I’m concerned, the ending of the song named Twilight really caught me, a post rock, acoustic fragment, simple and beautiful.
In the demo, there are 20 minutes in which you simply let yourself caught by music, there are 20 minutes of ”Nocturnal Comfort” and it’s the clear demonstration that you don’t have to toughen the things too much to get a thing well done.
p.s.: to be listened to in a proper state of mind.
Tracklist:
1. Enduring Faith
2. Twilight
3. Nocturnal Comfort
4. Moonlit Wake
http://www.myspace.com/moonlitwake
Rating: 8
Benighted in Sodom – Hybrid Parasite Evangelista
BENIGHTED in Sodom – Hybrid Parasite Evangelista
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: United States of America

“Hybrid Parasite Evangelistica” is more an atmospheric black metal album rather than a DSBM one, even if the vocals used here would find their place in a depressive black metal band. The album seems to be quite emotional, but largely because of the vocals used. The vocals are full of desperation and frustration and there is no intention of hiding it.
The songs are pretty ordinary, simplistic (even minimalist at times) and monotonous. The songs never managed to awake a sense of “despair” in me, and in this kind of albums / genre of black metal (if we refer to DSBM) the vocals are not enough if the melody does not help.
The riffs used sound the same from one end to another, no variation in rhythm, nothing that would wake you out of this trance. If I had to find an action that would describe the album, I would say it might be “brainwashing” . “Hybrid Parasite Evangelistica” seems to induce you in a trance state, where you lose yourself completely.
The album has some big minuses over which I can not pass: songs are a little bit too long, no variations of sound, monotonous riffs … it makes you lose your interest at a time (or maybe I’m too anchored in different depressive black metal style ).
However, two songs did the trick and are worth a listen: “Night Shade & Arsenic” and the last song “The Surrogate”, which shows that different riffs and a different pace can sometimes do wonders.
The best way to find out if the album suits you and if its the one that you’re looking for, you can take a listen at their myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/benightedinsodom
Rating:
6 / 10
Alcest – Écailles de Lune [2010]
Alcest – Écailles de Lune [2010]
Label : Prophecy Productions
Genre: Black Metal (early), Black Metal/Shoegaze (later)
A dream. A world filled with beautiful stories. A world where you can be yourself. A world in which you can escape every time you want to. A world of dream.
This is the short story about Neige`s new album.
Due to the fact that this past period I toyed a lot with post-rock, it was easy for me to tell about the influences of this genre in the category that the project Alcest was put in the beginning: black metal.
The combination of these two genres is more that welcome and thus further, Neige`s voice can be considered as being the element between these two, a bridge between them.
“Écailles de Lune [Part I]” begins in a way or another, more or less, as being a post-rock, and continues to transform itself into black metal. When Neige begins to make his presence noticed it can be said that these two genres fade away, all the attention being focused on his hypnotic voice.
It happened only a few times , and I can name here: Dead Can Dance (also Brandan Perry), Ulver, Arcana (also Peter Bjärgö).
I loved how he managed to put the same lyrics in two different ways. One more post-rock, the other more black metal. “Écailles de Lune [Part II]” is more black metal, and Neige`s voice is the same that we all were used to in the project Peste Noir.
Once “Percées de Lumière” started, the intensity of the instrumental reaches the apex, being the peak song from the album.
“Abysses”, as the title sais, takes you to the edge of the abyss and then throws you down into it to capture his essence. In that free fall you know you are safely carried by the echoes and the drops of water that can be heard, much like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole: a long journey to the bottom, the only difference is that in “Abysses” there is no bottom.
In “Solar Song” there is nothing else than the post-rock rhythms and Neige`s voice, with no lyrics. Just plain sounds. Much like a very good part of Dead Can Dance, and song with only Lisa Gerrard`s voice. Just listening to “Solar Song” you can feel the solar explosions and in the mean time you can feel yourself floating in space, relaxing yourself to the beautiful sight that the instrumental offers you.
“Sur l’Océan Couleur de fer” carries you on the cool waves into a world of dream.
The album from head to toe is a combination of colors in a somewhat sober environment, in a way or another. A contradiction of feelings, a variety of open doors that lead to worlds filled with unknown, but at the same time so familiar. From the beginning I thought this album seems to be a woman caught in the toils of her dream. The ending seems to be quite unfinished. I was expecting more after the last play, I was expecting that the 42 minutes of the album to continue, to never end.
However, I can only say that this album is a doorway through a world full of unknown, a world that awaits at your feet, a world that is ready at any time to capture you the second you press “play”.
You can find the review in Romanian here: Review Alcest – Ecailles de Lune (Ro)
Author: Seelenlos
Rating 9 / 10
Grisâtre–L´idée De Dieu
Grisâtre–L´idée De Dieu [2010] full lenght album / Label: Dusktone
What we have here is a project of ambient / atmospheric Black metal from France. Grisâtre was founded back in 2006 by Rokkr and in the beginning it was simply a release transmitting feelings which transcended perception.
After encouragements , Rokkr decided to answer the request of making his music known to the public. The project evolved and so, some demo tapes and splits appeared (the split that managed to make an impact on the black metal scene was the Grisatre / Desolation split , released in 2008 by Self Mutilation Services)
Grisâtre – ‘’ L´idée De Dieu’’ is the first full- length album of the band and the first release of the Italian label Dusktone Records. From the musical point of view ‘’ L´idée De Dieu“ maintains its roots , offering a travel back in the heart of atmospheric / depressive Black Metal.
The album: Three long songs of atmospheric black metal (aprox. 15 min length each), three songs that alternate from slow atmospheric rhythms to fast and depressive passages. The raw vocals fit perfectly in the structure of the songs, giving them a depressive touch accompanied by simple, still not monotonous guitar riffs which are very raw in some places. Last but not least, the decent keyboard in the background adds up to the cold atmospheric moments.
The other three songs are instrumental, using mainly a classic piano and the sound created breathes out a feeling of melancholy and contemplation; it’s the perfect transition from a contemplative, lonesome and meditative moment to a self-destructive and depressive state of mind.
Finally, , I’d like to recommend you this album, as it has a fine and balanced sound, enjoyable for those into the Depressive BM scene and even though it has a running time of 54 minutes, I am confident you won’t find it dull and even give it a second listening. You can check up on the band’s new release following the links below:
For further information on the band:
You can order the CD at dusktone.eu











