Ov Hollowness

Drawn To Descend

Hypnotic Dirge Records 2011

Being my first exposure to this entity from Alberta Canada I was unsure as what to expect from their sophomore album.  However, Hypnotic Dirge Records usually grabs my attention with their artists, so I figured I would be pleased with what my ears heard.  I was so right.  And what did they hear?  A somewhat surreal concoction of melancholic black metal.  Old and Colder starts the album off with forlorn notes that bring to mind a black metal version of Katatonia.  Nighttime riffs with nice fuzz set a sorrowful mood while kicking into a rhythmic flow.  These movements are accented by sad melodies and suicidal vocals.  As soon as you settle into expectations for what the songs are going to sound like on this album, the title-track bursts out of the speakers as a pitch black dose of blasting black metal.  There is a subtle melodic flow to the riffs as they slowly shift through their progression which is not unlike Satyricon's Dark Medievil Times.  And then we change gears once again, for some desolate suicidal black metal on the appropriately titled Desolate.  The way the riffs initially begin reminds me a lot of Brave Murder Day era Katatonia.  However the devil is in the details and the song features some Burzum-y synth and a rainy-day coldness that ensures the song will provide zero warmth to the listener.  Some interesting clean guitar begins Winds Forlorn and then the song shifts into upwards stroking epic black metal riffs.  The usage of muted clean vocals at the 3:10 mark (and elsewhere in the track) is a nice touch.   The final track takes things in a different direction, with an almost goth-rock texture.  However, the overall mood remains the same, I mean aside from the total rock guitar solo.  Drawn To Descend is a journey through various stages of melancholy.  Let the forlorn nostalgia overwhelm you.