Review Summary: The musical equivalent of a frozen street consumed with snow
Winter is a time for reflection; a time to gaze out the frosted windows at the blankets of snow that swallow everything in their path. I’ve always found solitude in doing so, as watching the snow fall onto the desolate streets has always brought me an unmistakable feeling of inner peace. However, this year has been…
different. I patiently wait for any significant snowfall to make an appearance, but it doesn’t happen. The warmer than average weather doesn’t exactly help either, and I’m left pondering what this holiday season will be like if that magical white dust doesn’t stick to the ground soon. Thankfully for me, I’ve discovered I don’t need the physical presence of snow to get that same reflective feeling; all I need is the right music.
Incorporating the winter season into music is nothing new. We’ve heard it before in the form of the aggressive, icy riffs of Paysage D’Hiver or the isolated sounds of Coldworld’s
Melancholie. Yet the concept still feels refreshing when listening to the new album by Fall to November Sky…. Based out of Russia, the one man project captures the essence of a freezing cold winter’s night in a remarkable fashion. Tremolo riffs stab their way through the brisk air as ominous bells and various sound effects engulf the listener completely. That’s not to say there’s no breathing room, however. Songs like ‘Cold Flowers for Sad Girl’ and ‘I’m a Tired Emptiness’ are softer tracks which borrow influences from ambient/drone music, but are no less effective in creating a fitting sound to accommodate the bitter season. In fact, they’re two of the most meditative pieces on the album, and will leave you feeling confined to your own thoughts as the music continues to expand and reveal itself further.
Like it or not, it’s becoming more and more common for bands to mix genres like post rock and shoegaze with black metal, and Fall to November Sky… fits snugly into this category. They waste no time on
A Little Sounds For an Empty World as they meld together the best elements of the genres mentioned to create a vast, frigid wall of sound. It didn’t take long upon hearing the album for me to feel as if I was standing amidst a barren neighborhood sparkling with the remnants of fresh snow and frost. The music’s ability here to create such imagery is a real treat. No longer do I stare up into the sky and pray for snowflakes to engulf my town, all I have to do is push the play button, and suddenly I’m taken on a journey through miles of fresh powder with streetlights shining through the thick fog. It may just be a mental visual, but it’s every bit as rewarding as the real thing.
