Exiled From Light is a Depressive Black Metal project from the malignant corners of New Zealand from The master mind Mort. I personally known him for 3 years now he gave me the first two Exiled From Light albums before ether one of their release dates. I have been blown away by all the music he has sent me over the times we have talked and this album will not disappoint. If you know of his first full length “Descending Further Into Nothingness” then once you listen to this you will realize this is much darker and out of all his fantastic albums and projects the best! I would like to clear up something before getting into this review and this the fact this album was leaked/ripped off the Exiled From Light myspace page with 2 wrong tracks which were the first 2 songs from the first album so shame on you rippers for ripping this beautiful album with out knowing a damn thing about it the correct track listing is:
1. We Writhe As Worms
2. The Bitter Taste of Tears
3. Clarity Viewed Through Dying Eyes
4. Faded Are My Memories
5. The Essence of Hope Drained
6. There Is No Beauty Left Here
Now onward into the review. Here the album opens with the track ‘We Writhe As Worms’ the very minute you play the track very clean guitars with a little delay open the track with the haunting ethereal like synths follow the guitars chord progressions (Note this progressive like element can be heard through out the whole album) then as the drum come in with your standard drum groove while inserting fills just before the beautiful haunting ambient melodies loop back over. The distorted guitar comings in as a rude awaking on the left head phone while the guitar and synth chords match up perfectly as the final fill comes in to bring both guitars in from stereo to mono to double bass grooves as the mournful vocals rise into the mix and that true hopeless feeling truly when you listen to this song and the whole album as you close your eyes in the night and darkness where ever you listen to this the overwhelming power and emotion truly paint a picture for you in your mind and you cant escape the emotion and pain that was channeled into this album it hits you like driving a Dodge Viper going 290 km/h right into a brick wall. As the song progresses you will find it as basic song structures and simple Minor and major chord progressions but while still having the ability to keep interest and really getting into the emotion, atmosphere and music of the song with out going… NEXT. You become very attached to the main melody of the song this song is absolute gold. The song fades out the some tom grooves and open string chord melodies while going into doom metal drum grooves.
The second track ‘The Bitter Taste of Tears’ slow enveloping clean guitar melodies open this track with the ambient synths playing along with the guitar chords as the drum tom groove build up tension then going into a doom metal drum groove when the final drum fill comes in as the heavy parts comes in like an eruption. While playing the main melody of the track the vocals blasting away in your fast as the blast beats bring out the grimness of the track then hence going back into the main heavy melody of the track. The tracks main melody plays through out the whole song mostly. Around 6:57 we are brought back the main opening melody song structures of the beginning of the song with the clean guitar melodies anf tom grooves and the doom metal like drums. Then hence returning to the main heavy melody. Then upon returning to the overwhelming power of the guitar melodies and blast beats and super fast drum fills only to return to the blast beats and main heavy riff. The outro brings up back to the once again main melodic opening of the beginning of the track as it fades out like a shadow fleeing light.
The third track Clarity Viewed Through Dying Eyes is one of my favorite songs off of the album. This track is a depressive epic ! It opens with these major clean guitar melodies as the synths are dimmed down abit while playing along with the guitars. The drum tom grooves fit perfectly long with the opening lead melody then going into a dual guitar harmony then as the heavy part comes in going straight to mono. The main melody is as of the main clean guitar in the opening the different crash and splash going along with the really fast double bass and standrad tempo double bass really bring out the heavy emotions that were put into the song while keeping the song fresh. As heavier lower end power chords come in take us away from the more lighter part into a much darker part of the song. A epic scream and vocal lines sore over the slowed down part here this part is to the trade mark of this song. Once the fill leads us into the next structure of this epic part of the song as Mort screams ‘Clarity viewed through dying eyes’ the weight of the song presses down on your chest you can not escape the emotion and solace of this track once you have passed through that part of the song it is just that powerful. But that is not the end there oh no! after the fill on the heavy dark melody the guitars bend up as the drums are slowed down only making it through one measure then the heavy part just explodes leaving you rendered helpless as the vocals, and instruments parts just crush your chest from the all the build up. Then goes into a heavy melodic part this part repeats a few more times. Which is good because this song is addictive it has many parts you just want to listen to then rewind the track and listen to it over and over again. Half way through the song the song goes back into the beginning of the song and repeats itself then fades out into the next song.
The fourth track ‘Faded Are My Memories’ is my favorite track off of this album I have listened to it for hours on end. The emotion and overwhelming depression and energy from this track is very powerful.
As like the first 3 tracks this opens with yet another sad clean guitar melody with the synths playing along with it and some parts the guitars harmonize with each other giving it more feel as it builds up with the lightly tapping of the cymbal bells as the fast heavy guitars blaze on the left head phone as the synth and guitar chords progress then the right guitar comes in as the drum fill leads us into the main heavy melody.
It goes into a faster double bass bridge with some vocals spoken. Then it dies down with another clean part with the clean guitars lightly being strummed. Upon returning to a slower DSBM song structure then kicking into a more faster part. As the fill pushes you right into the depressive blast beat on which I can not describe. It goes back into the intro heavy part just before the main heavy melody. Then upon returning once more to the lightly strummed lean guitars then kicking into the slowed down DSBM song structure.
Then we are forced back into the heavy melody and the amazing blast beats. The song then goes into a pre-bridge and new melody at 11:15. This part just crushes you with its perfect chords and atmosphere so much hate, sorrow, and sadness expressed just through this part it leaves you utterly drained of all emotions. With a nice transition into a slowed down part while then just jumping right into the main heavy melody of the song as it fades out. I love how this album gets progressively darker as you listen to each track.
The fifth track ’The Essence of Hope Drained’ starts out with this dark ambient mono tone with sounds of the ocean blending in with each other. Then out of no where the main heavy melody song structure is right in your face. For the most part there is not much double bass in this track. This is more of the a Black Doom Metal type of track. Most of the main main melody and I guess you could call it the ’chorus structure’ is played through out most of the album. There is still a lot of originality in this track and keeps going from dark to light. At 7:11 is a good example of that the guitars are cut down low in the mix along with the synth while the drums play along to create much bleak atmosphere as that part ends the guitar are brought up in the mix and they play the same melody as before and if you listen closely you can hear the dim guitar harmonies that is the highlight of the track in my thoughts. Then song goes back in the previous structures of the song. The end of song goes back into the best part of the song which is the melody at 7:11 and fades out. This song also is another song on the album you can just listen to on repeat all the time such fantastic atmosphere and emotion.
The six and final song ’There is no beauty Left here’. This track is a monster! It opens like most of the song with descending and ascending clean guitars while the atmospheric synths drone along with the guitars while the guitars harmonize with one another. The drums come as everything envelopes over and over and then the heavy power of the track comes in with a monstrous black metal scream with all the of build of the track happening the vocals come in with the both guitars coming on bother sides of your head phones. Both guitars play the same melodies as well as harmonize with each other as the synths give that dimmed drone effect in the track. Then the song goes into a clean overture just before this slow black metal type of structure kicks in then goes into the main heavy melody of the song. At 7:30 we have what I say is the melody that really describes the track very well with its super fast double bass and harmonized haunting synths and machine gun guitar riffs. The song goes back into the main heavy stereo guitar song structure as the beginning of the song, then reverts to the slow clean guitar melodies at the beginning as well. Then just in the last moments the song comes alive again with the Black Doom Metal song structure with the oppressing vocals bleeding through the mix along with the main heavy structure then kicking into the super fast double bass with the haunting ambience as the sound fades out.
Final Thoughts: This album is not for the trendy types or generic peoples of the type. It has nothing but true and pure dark, and mourning emotions like crying out in helpless agony. This is not a generic DSBM artist or album this is real music by a real person. The drums were made on Toontracks DFH VSTi and they sound really good even though there are grooves used over and over again through out the songs. The clean guitars are bright but not to bright and the distortion on the heavy guitars are perfect. It has great chord progressions and structures and haunting dark ambient synths and great raspy vocals everything to keep you listening to this master piece of hours on end. I recommend listening to this album at night in the dark (sorry for being a little corny) but by doing that really and truly brings out the entice emotion, darkness, and power of this album. This a Pure Black Metal gem, it also has originality and keeps it really from sounding like every other 2 million DSBM bands out there.
NOTE: This album comes with 2 CD’s the first 3 tracks on disk 1 and disk 2 contains the other 3 along with a 3 track demo of a project Mort did called Funereal(now split up) with the tracks:
1. A Dream in Illusion
2. Of That Which Lies Beneath
3. Through Twilight
BUY THE ALBUM HERE: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/efl-thereisnobeautylefthere.php
Exiled From Light @ Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/exiledfromlight
-Bjørn
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