Band:	Loss
Album:	Despond
Style:	Funeral doom metal
Release date:	May 31, 2011
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Weathering The Blight
02. Open Veins To A Curtain Closed
03. Cut-Up, Depressed And Alone
04. Deprived Of The Void
05. An Ill Body Seats My Sinking Sight
06. Despond
07. Shallow Pulse
08. Conceptual Funeralism Unto The Final Act (Of Being)
09. Silent And Completely Overcome
10. The Irreparable Act

Nothing's better than a line of soul-crushing and devastating under-waves. And to be more precise, that's exactly the moment Loss appears out of nowhere with Despond - after a bunch of demos/splits - and shake the foundations of funerary doom(/death). Everything is admirable concerning their first full-length and the black & white cover artwork captivates the eye of the listener and forges a very strong first impression. Not only does it possess depth as a drawing, but also emphasizes it in the details; quite an obscure theme as well, an entity at its funerary bed inside an overshadowed room filled with stalking portraits.

What else could you ask for? Of course some good music and according to the parameters, some good desolate music; and that's what Loss delivers. They're not here to torment you with some form of extreme doom; they're up to fill the grey in your soul with bereaving sound colors, which is always better than apathy, don't you think? At least you know what you're going through. After you've cherished the album's soundscapes for the first time one thing is for sure, variety blossoms through the compositions and makes the album less "monotonous" than other releases/bands. Not that "monotony" isn't welcome in this specific genre, but it's good to embrace variety once in a while just for a change.

It's not about ultra slow excavating riffing all the time; where Loss succeeds has to be the fact that they embed melody in big doses during their songs, henceforth the guitars play a more important role rather than a lurking menace or Marche Funèbre. Melodic ideas and beautiful chords make their appearance every now and then, beautifying the ambiance and lessening the burden with sincere melancholy. Yet, there are plenty of things that complete and adorn the overall scenery even more: the ultra deep grunting vocals; a few chanting tones and recitations; the mesmerizing and desolate singing on "Silent And Completely Overcome"; the slight piano appearances; the echoing percussion; the spot-on drumming; and the pounding bass lines. As for the production, it lends a wall of sound of its own to the compositions, a more dynamic and imposing for sure, but a gentle one, too.

"Despond" is bound to keep you heartfelt company for a bit more than an hour and don't even think it'd make you feel tired. Loss are talented enough to keep your interest at high levels, something they prove by simply putting it into practice. Feel free to dive into the underwater corridors of woe.