Band:	Xasthur
Album:	Inevitably Dark
Style:	Depressive black metal
Release date:	June 23, 2023
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

Disc I
01. Affect/Infect
02. A Future To Fear II
03. Psychiatric Carelessness
04. Euphoric Bad Trip
05. Live Like A Broken Mirror
06. Trauma Fiends
07. Abandoned Intuition
08. Concrete Mattress
09. I'm Not Guilty Of Your Past
10. Another Gutter
11. Inevitably Dark
12. Spectrum Of Hate
13. Benefits Of Dying Part 2

Disc II
01. Mirroring Failure
02. Overdose On Diversions
03. Worse Than The Good Old Days
04. Blizzard Inside A Coma
05. HellRot
06. Hypnotized By Lies
07. Stigmatized Grave
08. Delusional Identities
09. Sing It At Your Funeral
10. Projection Of Inferiority II

Disc III [Bonus tracks (artbook only)]
01. Segue
02. A mind Of You're Owned
03. Behind The Scenes
04. Choreographic Tragedies
05. This Can't End Well

Framed as Xasthur’s first venture into black metal in 13 years, upon closer inspection, Inevitably Dark is neither a true return to the old sound nor a development of the more recent neofolk/Americana sound; it just sits awkwardly in the middle.

I’ve been a massive fan of Xasthur since I first heard Subliminal Genocide and then purchased the following opus Defective Epitaph. The razorsharp riffs, ghostly keyboards and harrowing howls made by Scott Conner (aka Malefic) were responsible for some of the finest black metal of the 2000s. And before someone accuses me of being stuck in the old days: I truly wanted Conner to succeed with the intriguing neofolk/Americana/acid folk sound he was going for. I was first in line for checking out albums like Subject To Change and Victims Of The Times, as well as the work he released under the Nocturnal Poisoning moniker. Unfortunately everything has left a very mixed impression on me.

Scott Conner can definitely make some sublime sounds, and his acoustic work retains the ghostly vibe found on Xasthur’s classic records. The repetitiveness achieves a hypnotic sound that mirrors the modus operandi of his black metal albums. However, one of the things that kept me from truly enjoying the new sound was that I couldn’t get into the clean vocals.

So naturally, Scott Conner drops a massive 100+ minutes long instrumental album featuring both black metal and folk tunes. Ouch.

When the first songs dropped (“Inevitably Dark”, “Euphoric Bad Trip” and “A Future To Fear II”), I became intrigued but also concerned. The black metal songs were not as engaging; the riffs were way too buried in the mix, and the drum machine needed a lot of work. The folky tunes were charming and even dreamy, but had the impression of being interludes rather than actual songs.

Inevitably Dark is an extremely frustrating listening experience for newcomers and old fans alike. There are just too many bad choices on display, with the production being the biggest issue as it varies greatly in quality. Some tracks like “A Future To Fear II” and “Overdose On Diversions” are quite faithful to the good ol’ Xasthur sound, but the tacky drum machine is sadly ever present. Then you hear songs like “Trauma Fiends” and “Mirroring Failure”, which create colorful landscapes of sorrow featuring touching acoustic guitars and a quiet drum machine that actually adds to the music. But then, out of nowhere, you are attacked by extreme metal songs like “Another Gutter” and “Hellrot” that are unforgivable sins: there are ways to record stuff with a scarce production, but this is not it. Tracks like that are quite abundant too, and I can’t believe they are the final product and not just a simple recording of an idea.

And damn this album is too long. It feels like Scott Conner truly wants to merge these different sounds but doesn’t know how. So the next best thing was to release one badly produced black metal album, one aimless folk album, take all the songs and hit the shuffle button. How can you possibly follow the dungeon synth of “Blizzard Inside A Coma” with the absolute mess that is the death metal of “HellRot” and then immediately hit the listener with the psychedelic folk of “Hypnotized By Lies”?

I wish I could tell you that you can cut half the fat of this album and get a solid 50 min album, but I’m not sure that is possible because the result would be the same: A collection of songs that share so little in atmosphere, themes, composition and sound that the creator is the only sure constant. I truly wish Scott Conner better luck for his next work and that he succeeds in integrating all these ideas in one concrete sound. But as it is right now, I rather have these musical styles to stand as far away from each other as possible.