In Chasms Deep - The Wind And Her Lament review
| Band: | In Chasms Deep |
| Album: | The Wind And Her Lament |
| Style: | Black metal |
| Release date: | August 28, 2020 |
| Guest review by: | brimarsh |
01. The Wind And Her Lament
02. Beneath The Weight Of An Endless Sky
03. A Suicide In Paradise
04. Abyssgazer
05. Fading Into Rain
06. Mourning Glory
Puritanical perspectives notwithstanding, post-black metal is quite an interesting and intuitive amalgam. With post-rock/metal's emphasis placed on emotive and textured compositions allowing for the articulation of black metal's affinity for austerity or, rather, providing a stark and sanguine contrast, post-black metal affords the listener an emotional journey that is oftentimes more multifaceted than either of its components in their standalone states. Though exultation and melancholy are perhaps two sides of the same coin, one rarely existing without the other, how does one balance a coin in such a way that the observer can not distinguish one side from the other? While the answer exists, it seems to elude the Atlanta, Georgia-based one-man black metal act In Chasms Deep.
The Wind And Her Lament, a mostly straightforward approach to post-black metal with nods to minimalist contemporary classical, isn't necessarily a forward-thinking presentation. Wholly inconsistent in its direction, In Chasms Deep presents meandering musicality that ranges from predictable to confusing. As meritorious as passages may be in their singularity, there's very little to be found that listeners likely haven't already heard; the black metal riffing is highly reminiscent of US-based atmospheric and post-black metal acts from the past decade with ham-handed incorporations of shimmering and sunny post-sections providing ill-fitting contrasts amongst the doom, gloom, and cold. Individual sections - when they are not abruptly interrupted by nonsensical gear-shifting from pensive and pulchritudinous to chaotic and calamitous or vice versa - lazily linger into others, feeling like an overstayed welcome rather than a transition. In Chasm Deep's ineptitude in cohesive compositional direction degrades the integrity of their already formulaic songwriting, leaving the majority of the album feeling disorderly and misguided - like a cover band performing early Altar Of Plagues, Caspian, and Deafheaven in the same set, shifting to-and-fro with little regard for flow.
In Chasms Deep extends a mediocre hand into a pool of sounds and divulges a diverse and decisive (albeit wildly generic) palette to present us with - if nothing else - a deftly performed album, despite its structural disarray. While more reputable acts have taken the two-sided coin that is post-black metal and spun it such a way that its two sides weave into each other to become a singular illusionary entity, In Chasms Deep struggles, trying to flip the coin rapidly from side to side as the value of their promise wanes behind shoddy execution in arrangement.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 5 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 6 |
Written by brimarsh | 09.09.2020
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 8
Visited by: 22 users
| Vermoorden Posts: 141  |
Thanks for reviewing my album! I appreciate the criticism and honesty. I have always liked music that rapidly shifts between completely separate genres, less of a melting pot of genres, and more of separate contrasting moments, so some of the ideas you consider as a negative we're completely intentional on my part, but I understand how some would not enjoy that. Anyways, thanks again for the review, maybe my next one will be a little more focused lol.
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| brimarsh Posts: 73  |
Written by Vermoorden on 10.09.2020 at 03:15 Hello! Thank you for being extraordinarily graceful in the way you receive criticism; I wasn't exactly gentle with this one.  It's quite cool to hear the perspective of the creator! It certainly adds a context I otherwise would have not gotten. When I was in high school, my music teacher always stressed the importance of composing music you would want to listen to; so, it would make sense that your affinity for rapid shifts would peek through in your writing. You likely aren't the only one who appreciates stark contrast a bit more than blending, and I'd wager those like-minded folks would have rated this a bit higher than myself. In retrospect, I wished I would have touched on the closing track a bit more in the review. It doesn't really stand out much among the rest of the album when listening chronologically, which is why it was hardly addressed, but I actually thought it was one of the finer moments of the album when I listened to it as a standalone track. It's a really solid pensive piano composition. I haven't touched on your back catalog yet, but if any of it is piano-driven, sign me up.  Cheers, mate! 
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| Vermoorden Posts: 141 |
Written by brimarsh on 10.09.2020 at 04:07 No worries, all good! You are very right about the composing music that you want to listen to, my taste in music has definitely reflected what I create. As far as that piano track goes, off the top of my head, A Skeletal Refrain from Symphony of Horror is another completely piano piece of mine. My previous album has piano as well, but not as much as this one. None of my albums really sound too similar in my opinion, although they all share at least some degree of rapid genre shifting, just a warning lol. The Realm Between is probably my most straight forward, you might enjoy that one a bit more than this one, although its closer to melodic black metal than anything post-black related. Thanks for the response!
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| brimarsh Posts: 73 |
I'll definitely get around to your back catalog; from the sounds of it you've got a diverse profile (and, as demonstrated on this album, clearly a grasp on how to perform in a multitude of genres). I'll start with The Realm Between and go from there! Your grace in receiving and responding to criticism has garnered support from me, and I look forward to hearing which direction you take from here. All the best, mate. 
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| Vermoorden Posts: 141 |
Written by brimarsh on 10.09.2020 at 17:41 I appreciate it greatly! Thanks much for the support \m/
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351  |
I am very pleasantly surprised with the exchange of comments between reviewer and creator. Thank you to both of you for setting an example for everyone who is part of this forum. I am afraid I have to agree with the review, Lukas. There are many individual parts I really enjoy in the album but as a whole it sounds somewhat disjointed to me. I feel there is a lack of flow, like the different parts don't connect with each other, which is a shame because there are so many good ideas in here. I am going to check out your other albums as soon as I find the time. p.s. Would you like us to link your Metal Storm user profile with your musician profile?
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| Vermoorden Posts: 141 |
Written by nikarg on 11.09.2020 at 01:43 Thanks for checking it out! Glad you were able to enjoy the album at least partially! I have no problem with well thought out criticism like both brimarsh and yourself have done here, and I always appreciate feedback, positive, negative, or somewhere in between. And yes, feel free to link the two profiles, thanks!
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| Lou Rambler Posts: 53 |
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