Band:	Cloak Of Altering
Album:	The Night Comes Illuminated With Death
Style:	Avantgarde black metal
Release date:	2011
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. I Diabolus, Fallen And Vengeful
02. Cloak Of Altering
03. The Night Comes Illuminated With Death
04. The Lustful Farçade Of The Madrigals
05. Veil Of Stars
06. Golden Radiation Fills The Void

Mories de Jong is hyperactive this year, no one can deny it. After De Magia Veterum, Gnaw Their Tongues and Aderlating the time has arrived for Cloak Of Altering to come to the surface. The Night Comes Illuminated With Death is the title of the debut and the cover artwork is actually very tempting, it holds a tattoo-like aesthetic in shades of gold and crimson that leave an intense and royal impression at the same time.

This time Mories depicts a more structured work through his black metal hallucinations. He still holds some chaotic components that are the main characteristic of his infidel art, but on this very record it's chaos within borders. He's set a line which he can't surpass because otherwise it would sound (more or less) like his other works. I mean, there's still the trademark sound of Mories, but it's a bit different this time, proving that he can actually dominate the abstract and set some rules. Disharmony and order pace together hand in hand and forge an ever-conflicting yet ever-cooperating conservative-liberal oxymoron that actually works.

The production isn't crystal clear, and properly so; once again it holds a blurry yet ever-floating and in-depth vibe with some sort of echo being omnipresent through the whole duration of The Night Comes Illuminated With Death. In other words, Mories offers the ideal production the album was asking for so as to let most of the ideas be noticed but at the same time keeping a cryptic aesthetic within the majestic mist. Cloak Of Altering possess a majestic vibe and it's quite obvious through the keyboards that play a primary role and depict quite an affected work. They float all over the place and they never forget to present quality ideas either in fast tempo or by taking their time to unfold. Apart from the renowned black metal riffing - that is actually more present this time rather than the chaotic "something" of other works - Mories offers some beautiful solos and melodic chords/ideas from time to time so as to enrich and strengthen the structural character of this project. The vocals are either volcanic eruptions through recitations or semi-grunting fumes, or they move in ecstatic shouting and screaming pathways from beyond that dance at the scissors' edge. FXs, electronics, clinical drumming, etc complete the scenery that will accompany you for about 36 minutes of bizarre evocations.

A murky sense of melody, a surrounding ambiance and a beautified sense of extremity is everything you should expect from Cloak Of Altering. Mories de Jong is a black metal/dark ambient machine that is not willing to give up his dissonant mission. And who knows, there are 2 months left until 2011 reaches completion, so stay tuned, another strike could take place any time.