Band:	Crowhurst
Album:	Crowhurst
Style:	Noise, Experimental black metal
Release date:	April 2015

01. Penumbra
02. A Precipice Of Stone
03. Judgement
04. It Is The Mercy
05. Black Oceans
06. Languorous Void
07. Luna Falsata

Crowhurst begins and ends with feedback and fuzz. In between lie crushing riffs, pounding drums, and an overarching sense of futility and misery.

Crowhurst reminds me a great deal of what Twilight tried to do with its last album - but in a way that doesn't completely suck. The parallels are clear, with these two unusual, ugly-sounding black metal bands (which I mean in the gr1mm3st way possible, of course) looking to put themselves through the noisy grinder and emerge with something uniquely atmospheric, but where Twilight's III: Beneath Trident's Tomb resulted in a lot of disjointed, self-absorbed, screechy fuzz, Crowhurst retains its cohesion. Crowhurst embraces the hazy, feedback-laden coffin and, with a deft hand, weaves in demonic black metal.

This album deals as much in atmosphere as in distinct songs, and not grimkvlt PermaFrosty the Snowmancer atmosphere, either, but a weighty, low-end-driven den of noise. The guitars are a lot thicker, heavier, and dronier than are typically found in black metal, giving Crowhurst a very oppressive, earthy feeling that sometimes crosses over into doom territory. More Saw than The Exorcist, if you prefer ridiculous metaphors. On the other hand, the echoing vocals and layers of distorted sound create a sense of unending depth, a vast, cavernous setting out of which any untold horrors might pour. Most importantly, while Crowhurst does exude a certain slimy, sludgy character, the intensity of black metal still pushes through and makes this album a real melting pot of styles.

My personal favorite track is likely "A Precipice Of Stone," but every song has something different and interesting to offer. "It Is The Mercy" opens with the desolate sounds of an eerie ritual, eventually building up into an explosive, groaning dirge, and dying down once more into a thick, sludgy paste that sets the tone for the dreary, depressive follow-up in "Black Oceans." "Luna Falsata" finishes out the album with an endless, plodding field of unsettling noise and wretched vocals. Eschewing black metal in favor of a much doomier environment, the track does sound slightly different from those that preceded it, but it nonetheless fits the feeling of Crowhurst perfectly.

Labeling this album as merely black metal would be unfair, if not somewhat inaccurate, because of the number of influences and seamlessly-blended styles explored on Crowhurst. This album does testify, however, to the inventive capacity of the genre and of Crowhurst itself.