ALBUM REVIEW: Until The Darkness Goes – Apostle Of Solitude
Until The Darkness Goes is the sixth album from Indianapolis doom quartet APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE, and like most things over the past two years, it was heavily affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by it, shaped by it and delayed by it, but with the territory comes emotional baggage worthy of the ‘doom’ tag. In fact, one of the band members tragically lost both parents during the pandemic, and that heartache was poured into this record to craft six songs of abject misery and sorrowful lamenting.
Lyrically is where we find the deepest, darkest depths of doom and where this record ironically shines brightest. From the very first line (“Darkness comes in the blink of an eye”), it becomes clear that this is not a jolly listen, but The Union is where Until The Darkness Goes really nails the doom and gloom. With lines like “Unto this world we are given, to find a truth unknown/From this truth we are taken, we all die alone” and the refrain of “This union is a noose”, we are in some monumentally dense territory. The result is a song that feels immense and grand, but somehow claustrophobic, as the reminder that our time on this mortal coil can be mysterious and unyielding comes crashing down on you.
Album opener When The Darkness Comes begins in a slightly understated fashion, presenting a cookie cutter riff that carries the whole track, but it’s when the distortion kicks in that this one really grabs your attention. It’s a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on an ELDER release, and the halfway point sees the riff slow to a halt and come back heavier, more glacial, and punishingly heavy. But APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE are not a one-trick pony – later in the album we are also treated to the lush, instrumental Beautifully Dark. It’s a spectacular, jangling break from the chugging riffs, and comes with a healthy dose of Americana, resulting in a beautiful yet dangerous piece that sounds like it’s been plucked straight out of a modern Western.
For all the strengths of this album and indeed of this band, there is one overarching theme throughout the record: songs rarely end where they could, or perhaps should. Of course, long, drawn out song structures are a staple of the doom genre, but on more than one occasion you can’t help but feel that songs like Apathy In Isolation would be better had they ended 90 seconds sooner; instead it brings back the earlier verse with no addition, resulting in an anti-climactic ending compared to the what could have been with the final go-around of the chorus. Album closer Relive The Day suffers a similar fate, giving the album something of a meandering, frustrating ending.
Elsewhere, there are instances where the harmonies and dual vocals become problematic. The final third of Deeper Than The Oceans contains a peculiar delivery choice between vocalists Chuck Brown and Steve Janiak that feels oversold and underperformed, the two seemingly battling with each other rather than accompanying one another. It’s a jarring moment that cheapens an otherwise decent song and the overall feel of the album.
Overall, Until The Darkness Goes is a measured and balanced release. After 17 years, APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE know what they’re about and they are capable of incredible things (The Union is seriously one of the year’s best doom songs), but that makes the shortfalls that much more wearisome. They will likely never know another album-making process like they have suffered here, so we may never know for sure just how much the disruption and delays have affected them.
Rating: 6/10
Until The Darkness Goes is set for release on November 12th via Cruz Del Sur Music.
Like APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE on Facebook.