Review Summary: The Sun and the Moon working together on this majestic collaboration
Downfall Of Nur and Selvans are two acts of Avantgarde Music that have managed to build a good fanbase with both their first album respectively Umbras de Barbagia and Lupercalia. Downfall of Nur hailing from Argentina and Selvans from Italy, both these bands aim toward promoting their origins and culture through their instruments and lyrics. The two being one of the most known bands under this label, having a split record was a pleasant surprise, yet predictable.
The two bands having very distinct sounds, one could believe that we would get a record divided into two distinct styles, yet the album flows perfectly. Consisting of an instrumental intro, outro and two songs, yet lasting for about 40 minutes, this leaves plenty of time for long song structures and diversity. Created to represent the dichotomy of the Sun and Moon, the two different styles not only allows the record to have a diversity but also represent perfectly the Sun and Moon separately. Selvans crafted a thirteen minutes piece consisting of an alternation of chaotic, mesmerizing symphonic black metal and softer folk sections with clean vocals that could easily represent the Sun’s ever changing and exploding surface, while Downfall Of Nur’s eighteen minutes piece is more structured and colder like the Moon’s dead surface and core.
Although using two different styles of Black Metal, the two bands supplement each other rather than opposes themselves. Selvans’s ending of Pater Surgens will remind you of Downfall Of Nur’s use of flutes while Downfall Of Nur included some flutes that will remind you of Selvans’s Lupercalia. Each band inspiring each other and moving toward a similar goal, this album feels more of a collaborative album rather than a split record where each bands would play their part separately and differently. The only flaw that could be worked on here would be the intro and outro that, although not breaking the flow of the record, don’t bring anything to the soundscape either. Dany Tee’s vocals on Mater Universi are a little more scorched and less wind-like as it was on Umbras de Babargia which allows him to use a wider range, and therefore express even more emotions.
As a first collaboration between Selvans and Downfall Of Nur, this feels like the two had known each other forever, and that’s what makes this record a great piece of music. Using each band’s qualities, both have erased their respective flaws that you could found on their respective releases, and that makes for an awesome collaboration. Looking forward to see what the future for these two bands hold, either continuing their path separately or continuing their collaboration is promising a good future.
