Review Summary: Writing the words I do not have.
I don't even know how to start writing anymore. There's no preplanned concoction of thoughts swirling about my head, no structure or form to take on to write a great proper review. It all makes me often wonder "why?". Why am I writing when someone can paint a picture so much more vivid, more eloquently and better in every single facet? Maybe this is a poor judgement of myself or a lack of real motivation, but I'm not exactly someone teeming with self love.
Then something like
The Crescendo of Dusk comes along. It's an odd feeling listening to this ep- having so few words to say and yet feeling it compulsory to say
something . It's the profound mix of immense joy and sorrow that rains down like beautiful hellfire, that feeling of purity through pain and perseverance that's compacted into 21 minutes of beautiful atmospheric black metal that creates such an urgent feeling of
I need to write about this .
Austin Lunn's mastery of melodic, post-rock structured black metal where everything segways perfectly is not contestable. There is nothing jarring, no wild pitches thrown yet there is still a seamless blend of genres and sounds that merge together into a single unit. Even the transition from the epic atmoblack "The Crescendo of Dusk" into the more stripped down folk/country song "The Labryinth" is perfect. In a ways it's like the peaceful calm after the storm, even if said storm let's up itself if only to let you soak in the magnitude of its own weight.
Honestly, this ep has everything that makes Panoticon astounding. Chaotic drum fills, howls that sound like a big bearded beauty (Austin) yelling from atop a snow laden mountain and melodious guitar work that send icy shivers up your spine. Hell, the only real downside is that the runtime is meager (21 minutes), and when that is the most unfortunate aspect of your music then I think it can be safely said that something beautiful was created. And man, is this seriously ***ing beautiful. Check it.
