ALBUM REVIEW: Upon The Edge Of Darkness – Lumen Ad Mortem
Adelaide’s LUMEN AD MORTEM may only be in their fourth year of existence but the trio have very quickly established themselves as one of Australia’s most promising underground acts, which is no mean feat when considering some of the stellar acts that have been coming out of the country in the last few years. The band’s debut demo, released in November 2019, showcased a noxious blend of tight black metal and booming, powerful orchestral elements – an interesting and memorable take on the genre that immediately made them stand out significantly from the pack. Updating the three tracks from this demo, and crafting three new compositions to go with them, the band’s first album Upon The Edge Of Darkness may just be one of the more impactful debut albums in recent memory.
Infinite Resonance is a slow-burning and ominous opener, with bombastic arrangements setting a domineering tone before the track proper kicks in. It’s built around intricate drumming and guitars that meander between ethereal hooks and groove-laden, meaty passages, with the acidic rasp of the vocals serving as an excellent contrast, making for a dark and imposing start to proceedings. Where its predecessor was measured and deliberate, Within The Smoke is energetic, with faster tempos and a focus on melody-driven leads immediately making for a punchier sound. The acerbic vocals still carve their way to the top of the mix, with the music being shrouded in a palpable, keyboard heavy ambience, but this is still an urgent and animated effort, and more memorable for it.
Ethereal is a relatively straightforward black metal track with tight guitar work, frenetic drums and arid vocals. Bursts of chaotic intensity lend a traditional sound to the track, whilst still retaining the cavernous sound and crisp production, essentially taking a classic black metal formula and applying a modern edge to it while injecting enough twists and turns into the music to keep things interesting.
Thought And Memory follows in a similar vein, with caustic riffs, authoritative drums and bellicose howls all contributing to an aggressive and feral feel. Even the brooding, mid-paced moments in the middle of this sound sinister, borrowing from a second wave template but peppering it with expansive orchestration in much the same way as the previous track’s closing moments. It acts as a brilliant bridge between this song’s two halves as it adds fresh elements to a tried and tested formula. The Voices From The Stream adopts an atmospheric sound and minimalistic approach, allowing the vocals and soaring keyboards drive the music. There are few intricate moments from the guitars and drums until the song begins to reach its climax, and even then not to the degree that has featured on earlier offerings. It’s a great, hypnotic piece of music that draws the listener in, and effectively adds another dynamic to the album’s sound.
Narrow Paths And Stoney Ground takes the grandiose potential that was hinted at earlier on the album and fully realises it, with the orchestral flourishes coming out in force alongside a marching beat and sharp guitars before launching headlong into a denser, jarring sound – a stark counterpoint that works extremely well. The juxtaposing glorious and grating parts each vie for attention without either one ever fully dominating the overall sound, turning this into a compelling tug of war that is engrossing and impressive and serves as the sort of fantastically dramatic conclusion that this album needed.
Although much of this album does adopt a more classic take on black metal, LUMEN AD MORTEM have also, notably through the use of the brilliant orchestration and keyboard work on this album, made an atmospheric black metal record that stands head and shoulders above about 95% of many of the current acts out there who are specifically writing black metal in that style. They’ve used these elements to add lots of great moments to the already impressive undercurrent that they are supplementing, rather than relying on the keys to pad out a thin sounding record. All in all, this is an excellent debut that not only builds upon the foundations of their demo, but improves on it vastly. It’s a truly impressive start to what will hopefully be the first of many great albums from this band.
Rating: 8/10
Upon The Edge Of Darkness is out now via Bitter Loss Records.
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