Pale Mist – Through the Labyrinth and into Connectivity (Werewolf Promotion. 2021).
The third album by the English Black Metal band Pale Mist starts off with an interesting, somewhat dream-like intro titled The Crackling Path. It is a curious track, with an ethereal atmosphere produced by vaguely ominous synths and a beautiful melody played on the guitar that admittedly may make one think more of something akin to post-punk and related genres than Black Metal. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful introduction to the album, and works with the general atmosphere of the album of being on a spiritual journey towards a higher plane of being through the realms of Death and Rebirth with all the emotional tumult and triumphant feelings that such a journey evokes. As soon as it subsides, we are plunged into the icy riffing of A Metaphysical Dissolution. This song is a twelve-minute beast, but it will captivate you throughout. It starts out with a relatively fierce set of tremolo-picked riffs delivered at higher speed, before slowing to a more mid-paced section around the 04:00 mark. The song twists and turns, creating a sense of some spiritual journey towards ascension, which is aided by the masterful use of cleaner vocals alongside the more tortured shrieks of Glomor, the malign mind behind Pale Mist. There are moments that seem to be imbued with a deep pain, whilst others sound more triumphant, which is fitting for the lyrical theme of a deep, spiritual journey towards a higher realm of being. This atmosphere permeates the entire album, and it is why the title track, whilst stylistically quite different to the other songs on the album, nevertheless fits quite well. Now, as mentioned, the title song, Through the Labyrinth and into Connectivity, is quite different, being more of a post-punk song in many ways. Then again, none of this should be surprising for those who enjoy Pale Mist, who made excellent use of emotionally intense acoustic tracks on their previous album, Spreading My Wings into the Abyss that Calls, which greatly added to the atmosphere of that album. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful track, with entrancing guitar riffs and powerful, pulsing bass riffs that work together with the hypnotic guest vocals of Helena and the clean vocals of Glomor to generate this transcendental atmosphere. It is honestly one of my favourite songs on the album, even if it is not Black Metal, since it is very well-written. The final song, Crushing the Inferior Realms of Becoming, provides a fantastic end to this album with a return to majestic Black Metal. It is a well-produced masterpiece by a band that deserves so much more attention.
8.5/10.
SADISTIC SCREAMS 