ALBUM REVIEW: Riluo – Laang 冷
Born from an experience few of us could even imagine, Taiwanese black metal duo LAANG 冷 have been carving their place in the black metal underground since their inception in 2018. Birthed as a project to channel vocalist/guitarist Haitao Yang‘s PTSD following a car-jacking gone wrong that resulted in the frontman being shot in the head, pronounced medically dead and experiencing nightmarish hallucinations of a “place beyond Hell”, his miraculous survival has seen the band flourish as he continues to externalise and cope with his trauma. Album number three, Riluo (‘sunset’), arrives hot on the heels of 2021’s Xinteng 心疼, and stands as the band’s most accomplished work to date.
Fusing a cocktail of symphonic black metal with traditional Chinese instrumentation, Riluo is drenched in alluring melodies, aural bombardment and inward spirituality that makes the listening experience truly special. Album opener Baoyu 暴雨 flies out the gates as a cacophony of pained screams, blistering blastbeats from session drummer Zak King, and the swirling Mandarin instrumentation makes for one hell of an album opening and showcases Laang 冷 in the best possible light.
From there, the band continue to fire on all cylinders and showcase just what a special proposition they are within the context of black metal. Liuxue de Taiyang 流血的太陽 croons with alluring symphonics and incredibly digestible riffs that leave you yearning for more, Honghai 紅海 swings in thunderous rhythm as Yang and bassist Willy ‘Krieg’ Tai keep the riffs swirling like a violent maelstrom and Zhemo 折磨 channels the energy and sonics of long-standing countrymen CHTHONIC with soaring symphonics and enough grit to keep the heaviness flowing. It’s clear that across Riluo‘s runtime that the band have enough musical chops to create a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.
Gui Xiang 歸鄉 is arguably one of the strongest highlights on the record as symphonics soar and intricate guitar-work from Yang ensnares you and the clever use of pacing keeps you on your toes whilst the emotive undertones really helps paint a picture of the frontman’s anguish he has poured into the record. Yequ 夜曲, on the other hand, goes for the jugular with an all out aural battering as blastbeats and frenetic fury reign supreme and in album closer, the title track Riluo 日落, LAANG 冷 end on a triumph as a flourish of traditional instrumentation and sombre passages that reflect the pain of human suffering weave seamlessly with the riffs and pained screams of Yang to end the album on the most highest of notes.
Having flown under the radar for several years, Riluo is an accomplished, emotive and thoroughly invigorating body of work, one that musically ebbs and flows and emotionally hits oh so hard. With this third record, the Taiwanese duo establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with. The chapter may be closing on 2023, but with Riluo, LAANG 冷 see the year end with the biggest of bangs.
Rating: 9/10
Riluo is set for release on November 24th via Talheim Records.
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