Advent Sorrow – As All Light Leaves Her - Album Streaming & Download

Origin : Australia

Genre : Depressive Black Metal

Release : 2015

Album Info / Review

Intro:
Advent Sorrow’s sophomore full-length, *As All Light Leaves Her*, descends like a shroud of obsidian dust, a testament to the enduring power of atmospheric black metal forged in the crucible of profound melancholy. Emerging from the shadows of the Australian underground, the duo of guitarist/vocalist Liam Jones and bassist/keyboardist Ben Wilson has crafted an album that transcends mere genre categorization, weaving a tapestry of despair, introspection, and an almost suffocating beauty. This is not music for the faint of heart, nor for those seeking facile catharsis. Instead, *As All Light Leaves Her* demands surrender to its glacial pacing and suffocating atmosphere, rewarding patience with a deeply affecting emotional resonance. The production, while intentionally raw and unpolished, lends a visceral authenticity to the proceedings, allowing the raw emotion to bleed through every distorted riff and mournful passage.

Track Analysis:
1. **”The Absence of Light”**: The album opens with a stark, ambient synth passage, a chilling prelude that evokes the vast emptiness of a starless night. This slowly gives way to a desolate, clean guitar melody, dripping with a sorrow that feels ancient and inescapable. The build is gradual, allowing the listener to become immersed in the desolation before the first blast of distorted fury erupts, driven by Jones’s raw, guttural shrieks. The tempo shifts are masterful, transitioning from furious onslaughts to moments of fragile, almost orchestral despair, punctuated by Wilson’s subtle yet impactful keyboard textures.

2. **”Whispers from the Void”**: This track plunges headfirst into the album’s core sound. A relentless, tremolo-picked riff forms the backbone, a sonic representation of gnawing anxiety. The drums are a chaotic yet precise barrage, never overwhelming the intricate guitar work. Wilson’s keyboards here are not mere embellishments; they act as spectral counterpoints, adding layers of eerie grandeur and a sense of cosmic dread. The vocal delivery is a desperate rasp, conveying a profound sense of isolation.

3. **”Beneath the Fading Sun”**: A more dynamic offering, this track showcases Advent Sorrow’s ability to craft compelling narratives through sound. The opening is a majestic, almost doomy passage, heavy and deliberate. This gives way to a surprisingly melodic, yet still melancholic, section featuring a prominent bass line that grounds the ethereal guitar melodies. The vocal performance here is particularly potent, shifting between guttural roars and pained, almost whispered lamentations. The climactic section features a soaring, yet sorrowful, guitar solo that feels like a final, desperate cry into the abyss.

4. **”Her Shadow Lingers”**: This is perhaps the album’s most overtly atmospheric piece. The guitars are layered with reverb and delay, creating a vast, echoing soundscape. The percussion is sparse and tribal, adding to the sense of ritualistic despair. Wilson’s keyboards are more prominent here, conjuring images of spectral figures and forgotten rituals. The track builds to a crescendo of distorted noise and anguished vocals, before abruptly cutting out, leaving a chilling silence.

5. **”As All Light Leaves Her”**: The titular track is an epic journey through the depths of despair. clocking in at over ten minutes, it’s a masterclass in atmospheric black metal songwriting. It begins with a haunting, clean guitar arpeggio, gradually building in intensity with layered synths and a slow, crushing drum beat. The vocals are a guttural, desperate wail that perfectly encapsulates the album’s themes. The song ebbs and flows, moving from crushing, dissonant passages to moments of profound, almost beautiful sorrow, before culminating in a final, agonizing descent into silence. The use of ambient sound effects, like wind and distant thunder, further enhances the feeling of isolation and impending doom.

6. **”The Last Embrace”**: This track serves as a poignant epilogue. It’s a slower, more introspective piece, dominated by a mournful clean guitar melody and subtle, ambient keyboard textures. The vocals are sparse and resigned, conveying a sense of finality and acceptance of the encroaching darkness. The track fades out with a lingering sense of peace born from utter devastation, leaving the listener with a profound sense of catharsis, albeit a dark and heavy one.

Conclusion:
*As All Light Leaves Her* is a monumental achievement in atmospheric black metal. Advent Sorrow has not only honed their craft but have pushed the boundaries of the genre with their unflinching exploration of despair and melancholic beauty. The album is a cohesive, immersive experience, each track contributing to the overarching narrative of loss and desolation. It’s a testament to the power of raw emotion translated through meticulously crafted soundscapes. This is an album that demands repeated listens, revealing new layers of despair and beauty with each immersion. It is a bleak masterpiece, a testament to the enduring power of darkness in art.