ALBUM REVIEW: Lightless – Loviatar

Sometimes you have to forget about all fancy words and simply put it out in the open: this album is amazing. Portion of that necessity to discard all the flamboyant descriptions and allegories with Lightless, LOVIATAR’s sophomore studio album, is due to the fact that the quartet from Ottawa, Canada, are like nothing or no-one else. They are loud, heavy and progressive, but much more than that, LOVIATAR are massive, breathtaking, comprehensive, daunting.

Shifting from the “realms of mythology and fantasy,” LOVIATAR songs, for the most part, are erected on a rigid foundation of clean metal guitars and wailed vocals. The opening Suffocating Delirium is an archetype based on a swirling tempo relying on atmosphere. More volatile and gloomy than its predecessor, Horse in Thrall coats quite a few meandering tones and kaleidoscopic influences. Therein lies one of the album’s strongest features – how LOVIATAR take complimentary elements rather than hand-pick them. On the album’s longest, title track, LOVIATAR starts with a dazed, celestial doom tone only to shift over into some crushing riff work. On the other side, songs like Cave In and Silica seize a filthy, despondent sensibility.

On Lightless, LOVIATAR incorporate a collage of influences not only from within the doom ecosystem, but also from the prolific Canadian scene. The resulting release is an album that respects the doom lore but is also pervaded with a sense of spirit and vigour, expanding both band’s and the genre’s sound. The thirty-eight minutes packed within Lightless are filled to the brim with dense tones, pummelling riffs, and a stoner smog so thick that will make you turn your drawer upside down in search for eye-drops. Beyond its surface, Lightless is a record of robust melange.

It’s easy to notice while listening to Lightless that LOVIATAR are not only curators of doom; they’re also sincere enthusiasts of the genre and its different branches. And with this album, the group is both paying tribute to sounds they cherish and continuing the further expansion of the doom genre. If nothing, we can feel delighted knowing that doom metal with this level of drive and commitment to art exists. Those who let themselves into Lightless will find a world of aural integrity and vigour that they may not want to leave.

Lightless is a fantastic second full-length release from a band with limitless potential. It’s a celebration of the doom genre, complete with trudging pulse, earth-shattering guitar riffs and relatable lyrics. LOVIATAR‘s newest offering comes highly recommended.

Rating: 9/10

Lightless is out on April 3rd via Prosthetic Records.

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