Review Summary: Same foundation, but not quite the same magic
All Virtues Ablaze was the very definition of a
reverse-sophomore slump. The second outing by Canadian black metallers Liminal Shroud saw them masterfully juggling moments of savagery, atmosphere, and melody to generate a 40-minute sonic hellscape. The experience was equal parts brutal and bleak; noisy and somber; menacing and contemplative. And more importantly, it was a big step up from the solid – yet somewhat derivative –
Through the False Narrows. The songwriting was more focused, the atmosphere more immersive, and the tracklist more lean and tight. So I think it’s fair to expect Liminal Shroud to build on this newfound formula for 2024’s
Visions of Collapse; after all, things do seem similar on the surface. Lyrics detailing the futility and despair of man? Check. A relatively short runtime? Check. Stark, haunting cover art? Check.
Unfortunately, despite the outward resemblance,
Visions of Collapse is a notable step down from its predecessor. And much of this can be attributed to the lack of two things: variety and worldbuilding. Two of the core building blocks of
All Virtues Ablaze have been diminished in favor of a more static, centralized black metal sound. Now, that’s not to say the record is
entirely devoid of those elements; in fact, things start off quite nicely with “Nocturnal Phosphorescence”. A sorrowful clean guitar passage begins the proceedings in appropriate fashion, akin to a funeral procession and/or mournful rumination. And the boys build on this nicely, eventually kicking into furious blastbeats and razor-sharp tremolos over the same motif; this ability to slowly build upon a core idea or theme is what brings out some of Liminal Shroud’s best moments as a band. For a song that achieves the same effect, but in reverse, check out “Malaspina”. The track bursts out of the gate with some fiery fretwork and intense drumming, only to slow down its main riff and make way for clean vocals; it’s a really effective moment of contemplation before the band go all-out with the screeches and rapid-fire drumming.
Sadly, as I alluded to earlier, the record doesn’t have enough of these moments. The majority of
Visions of Collapse is spent on rote black metal riffs that seem a bit light on imagination and flair. They’re
serviceable riffs, sure, but they don’t really bring anything new to the table. The intro of “Nucleonic Blight” tries its best to replicate what made the opening of “Nocturnal Phosphorescence” so compelling – slow clean guitar and all – and it works quite well. But as soon as it speeds up and the blastbeats come in, there simply isn’t enough diversity in the songwriting to justify such a lengthy piece (11 minutes in this case). After a while, the riffs blend together into a sort of musical mush. And when you have the two longest songs placed back-to-back in the tracklist (unfortunately, “Resolve” has its share of homogeneous passages as well), the middle section of the record becomes a bit of a chore to sit through. In fact, the aforementioned “Malaspina” is quite the breath of fresh air when it arrives – 4 minutes, chock-full of killer riffs, and wasting no time to get to the point. And here’s the thing: I wouldn’t mind the longer tracks if they took much more advantage of their runtime. But sadly, that isn’t really the case. At the end of the day,
All Virtues Ablaze is a fine choice if you’re simply looking for some competently written and played atmospheric black metal… just don’t expect it to go above and beyond the call of duty like its predecessor did.
