Band:	Mizmor
Album:	Wit's End
Style:	Black metal, Doom metal
Release date:	January 2022

01. Wit's End
02. Pareidolia

I'm about at my wit's end trying to find the right words for this little diddy.

I kid, I kid. But perhaps only partially.

You all remember Mizmor, yeah? The Portland blackened doom one manner from mastermind A.L.N. (who also helps Hell (USA) with live guitar)? This juggernaut got a good deal of attention back in 2016 with the impressive Yodh debut, followed by 2019's Cairn, the latter receiving much positive press from even some of the more mainstream metal outlets, and also earning A.L.N.'s baby a spot at the much esteemed Roadburn festival. The project, while not quite of the caliber of something as Earth - shattering as, say, The Ruins Of Beverast, was bringing some solid jamz to the table, and appeared ready to conquer with a colossal third LP.

So what happened, exactly? Well, Wit's End enters the picture now in 2022, with artwork (by Justyna Koziczak, mad props) that unfortunately feels far more gripping than the actual music. An EP clocking in at just under a half hour, this offering essentially boils down to a slow, plodding doom number followed by a hazy ambient track, which feels like something of an extended outro to the former.

The doom number (the title tack), minus a woefully inaudible bass, really isn't that bad, and actually starts with some kind of sample that is mildly interesting. Its impact will depend on what you're looking for though. I was looking for some black metal presence, which is virtually absent here, as well as the razor sharp guitar tone Mizmor won me with on the past albums, which is also found wanting. It's more of a death doom approach, something not bad in itself, but an approach that does sound rather bland from this particular project.

The ambient track, meanwhile, isn't too horrible either, and at least tried for something different. But it suffers from a lack of significant climax, does a lot of meandering, and also features some high pitched screeches toward its end that personally struck me as a bit too much. I'm not sure if A.L.N. is looking to explore ambient music in the future, whether as part of Mizmor or for something different, but if so, this isn't exactly the most promising first venture into it.

In short, while Wit's End may have had some great ideas behind it in the conception stage, in application it has a lot of production issues and just overall uninspired songwriting that serves to hold it back considerably. It genuinely hurts to type these words and attach such a score to this review, because previously Yodh came in as an easy 8.0 album and later Cairn was right up there with it, possibly even a 9. As an EP, this could potentially be teasing at the sound of the next LP, and I hope it's much more of just a minor (albeit bumpy) detour on that long and winding road. While Wit's End certainly hasn't pushed me off the Mizmor wagon just yet, I'd say it begs for some added redemption with the next release.