Band:	Feral Light
Album:	Life Vapor
Style:	Crust Punk, Black metal
Release date:	May 08, 2020
Guest review by:	brimarsh

01. Blood In Sand
02. Assuage
03. Walking Tomb
04. Last Grasp Invocation
05. Hex Of Inverses
06. In Summation

Feral Light is an interesting band to categorize. While the core of their sound is very much black metal, they seem to have taken it upon themselves in the past five years to blend as many sub-genres into their music as possible. Combining elements of black n' roll, crust, doom, post-metal, and shoegaze within a mostly modern black metal mould, Feral Light creates an album that's as unique as it is eclectic; however, there's a fine line between eclecticism and pretension?and a band's self-awareness (or lack thereof) generally dictates which side of that line they stand.

My biggest gripe with these?for lack of a better identifier?experimental black metal bands is less about the experimentation and more about the self-awareness in their execution. Originality is not synonymous with interesting, nor does it equate to actually sounding good; just because you've made something few others (if any) have doesn't inherently suggest that you've made something meaningful. Amalgamating the aforementioned genres sounds interesting on paper, but how well are these influences homogenized? No one wants to hear a Rolodex of sounds as you trample through your influences with abrupt and graceless transitions, nor does anyone want to drink your trash smoothie when you tastelessly blend together five components with no regard for moderation, tonality, or cohesiveness. Luckily for Feral Light, none of my gripes are pertinent to their coherency.

In fact, the Minnesotan duet are particularly commendable when it comes to their ability to make drastic stylistic changes sound subtle as they weave influences in and out of their passages on an on-the-fly basis. The aggressive yet atmospheric black metal stylings akin to that of Sun Worship or Greytomb blend with post-metal musings not unlike Russian Circles, creating this immersive shroud of despondency that feels doomy in everything but sound. Grooved, punkish aggression and cold dissonance lock arms with pensive melodiousness, creating an evocative soundscape that ebbs and flows as they dance through the duration with unorthodox fervor. Despite their overall strength in songwriting, the opening track "Blood In Sand" is the album's longest track, clocking in at 7:32, and it feels begrudgingly long as it is arguably the least varied and not-so-arguably the most aggressive of the lot. This plodding aggression feels almost exhausting and out of place in comparison to its meticulous and varied successors. While it is easy to overlook in retrospect, it makes for a tasking first listen and is ill-fitted to introduce the album. Though mostly superficial, I found the production a bit shoddy and not well-suited to my tastes. The low-end feels not quite thin but lacking; the vocals sound strained and awkward at times and are seemingly a bit too high in the mix, resulting in more verbose passages coming off as cacophonous and grating.

Though Life Vapor is eclectic and ambitious, it's by no means misguided or muddled. Compositions are cohesive and well-structured despite their varied natures. The interspersing of sub-genres is tactful and diligent; the riffing throughout is wildly effective and demonstrates an aptitude in creating expressive atmospheres as well as engaging grooves and melodies, providing what I'd consider the most memorable performance on the album. If you can wade through some of the more surface-level irritants, you'll find a core constructed of creative songwriting and immersive performances. I won't say I love it, but I really, really like it.