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33 minutes of some of the most deranged black metal ever - 90%

Traumawillalwayslinger, January 29th, 2024
Written based on this version: 2007, Cassette, Winterreich Productions (Limited edition)

Drowning the Light is a band I’ve recently fallen in love with. During the summer of last year, I was going through a bit of a rough patch. During this time I decided why not dive head first into the realm of raw black metal more than ever before? And “Through the Noose of Existence” was one of the first things I listened to. I was already a big fan of this band's debut album “Drowned”, but it wasn’t until I fully heard this album that I binged their whole discography in the span of 2 weeks. This album is what the fans mainly refer to as the full-on DSBM album of Drowning the Light's dense catalog. And it’s easy to see why many say this.

Right away this album screams DSBM. The riffs are slow and melancholic, being mostly tremolo-dominant throughout a lot of this album. The pacing of this album and its riffs are mid-paced and very slow. Allowing for the emotional aspects of this album to hit you head-on. The music is ungodly simplistic. The drums are obviously programmed and are very repetitive. It’s not a gripe however as all this simplicity gives way to the experience and overall feel of this album. It drowns you in the rawness and depressive sounds that create something truly haunting.

This album also has a lot of ambiance to it. There are only 3 actual black metal songs on here, the rest are ambient pieces. Which to me amplifies the atmosphere and cold feelings this album gives off. I love how DSBM manages to hone in on a lot of things that I can relate to. Allowing me to fully appreciate and enjoy the music for what it really is. Hateful, primitive, and psychotic.

Now I’ve been putting off talking about a particular aspect of this record that is the true highlight of this album. And that's fucking Azgorh’s vocal performance. Easily one of the greatest DSBM vocal performances EVER. The title track shows off these vocals perfectly, the vocals are ungodly ruthless and disturbing. The song starts off slow with a very melancholic tremolo before a howl kicks In. It's long and miserable-sounding as the music slowly transitions into a mid-paced riff and beat that’ll drive the rest of this song. The vocals are insanely repulsive and deranged, sounding like a madman being stabbed repeatedly. Or someone being trapped in an endless cycle of pain and suffering who just wants to end their life. Azgorh can hit the highest of highs and the most powerful wails and screams imaginable.

There are no real lyrics to be deciphered here. As the vocals are just unintelligible wails, at times his voice sounds like it just straight-up breaks. Giving way to his real voice it seems like, which are these very painful small whimpers. Azgorh is really pushing himself here, he’s screaming his heart out and it’s the heart of the album. Leaving the music and atmosphere to speak for themselves.

As the title track progresses slowly it suddenly switches into a more atmospheric and ambient section in the latter half of the song. Showing off Azgorh’s most deranged and painful screams and shrieks on the entire album. Displaying these extremely depressing but also beautiful synths. I can’t tell if Azgorh is just crying his guts out, or if he’s just going absolutely insane. Regardless it’s a very heavy listen and sounds very sad and heartbreaking at times. Because it genuinely sounds like he’s going fucking ballistic. The song goes on for 11 minutes and never once lost my interest.

The other 2 songs “Haunted Seas”, and “Echoes of My Demise” follow the same formula as the title track. Showcasing very slow melancholic tremolo-picked riffage, mid-paced drum beats, and Azgorh’s tormented vocals. There’s not a single blast beat or fast moment at all in this album like other Drowning the Light releases. As well there’s also no double bass, which is weird because double bass can be found on so many other releases by this project. It’s also worth mentioning that NONE of Drowning the Light’s other albums sounds like this record. This is the only place where you’ll see the vocals this tormented and the music this stripped-down.

Overall this is probably one of my favorite releases of Azgorh’s and one of my favorite Drowning the Light albums in general. There are so many releases that this band has under its belt it’s hard to pick. Because there are so many solid demos, splits, EPs, and full lengths to feast upon. But if you're not a DSBM fan, don’t start here with Drowning the Light. Pick any other album besides this one, while it is amazing it can also be extremely overwhelming. But if you're looking for something utterly psychotic. Check this album out. Great shit overall.

Buy this for the title track - 81%

bord, June 11th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Asgard Musik (Limited edition)

Anyone who has come across Drowning the Light will know that Azgorh is one of the most prolific artists in history. He has over 50 DTL releases in just over a decade; not to mention a wide variety of side projects with bands such as Eternum, Pestilential Shadows, Harvest and Black Funeral. Detractors say that it’s possible because Azgorh just produces low quality, generic shit. While there is some truth in the fact that DTL’s typical sound is a coupling of low-fidelity production qualities with songs layered with fairly generic riffs, the negativity fails to recognise that there is actually substantial diversity throughout DTL’s catalogue with most albums having their own distinct sound and feel.

The release of ‘Through the Noose of Existance’ is probably one of Azgorhs most distinctive, ground-breaking releases in his career. Yes, the title is misspelled. Yes, Azgorh knows it (and he frankly doesn’t care). What matters is that this E.P. contains some of the most visceral, crazed, emotionally fucked-up vocals of any black metal album (let alone any DTL release). Given the lengths that black metal vocalists have gone to carve out their own unique artistic space, this is really saying something. If you have heard of the Stalaggh and Gulaggh projects, or listened to the fucked up vocals on the infamous Bethlehem album, then Azgorh has managed to top the sheer insanity and misery by a factor of ten.

The whole reason to buy this E.P. is the vocals - particularly those on the 2nd song which is the title track. Overall, the music is highly generic – in some respects not much more than a basic mid-paced black metal set of drumming and some generic cold, tremolo-picked guitars. But, Oh my black-God, the vocals are freaking awesome. It sounds like the vocals of misanthropic insanity.

Track 1 is simply a brief bit of atmosphere. Track 2 starts with a basic repeating cold tremolo-picked riff which is relatively slow and sounds pretty boring. But then, the demented vocals start at the 38 second mark and the listener is instantly drawn into a world of suffering, anguish and insanity. There aren’t any lyrics to speak of: rather Azgorh’s howls are basically straight from the depths and are another instrument. For the next five minutes the listener is subjected to the howls of an insane madman until suddenly the music takes an abrupt turn and the last 5 minutes move into dungeon synth territory and the vocals become pure shrieks of suicidal anguish. Nothing in my black metal catalogue (of several hundred albums) compares to this. The Stalaggh/Gulaggh projects would have to be the closest but they don’t really have the ‘I-hate-living’ pleas.

Track 3 is a worthy BM song in itself, following on nicely from the title track as it continues with similar style vocals. It almost seems like an early experiment of Azgorh’s before he nailed it in Track 2. Track 4 is simply an overly long atmospheric track that seems more like preventing the listener from committing suicide before plunging them back into the depths of ‘life-is-pain-and-it-really-fucking-sucks’ misery of Track 5 (the last song on the E.P.). This track closes out the album well. It has music that is nicely depressive and suicidal by itself. Coupled with the vocals, this track becomes a serious wrist-slitting plunge into mad darkness.

Azgorh has some of the best vocals in the genre and he seriously outdid himself on this release, pushing himself well outside of the sound of any other DTL release. In terms of this album specifically, I would love to see what it might have become if Az had fronted a band like Shining as, notwithstanding what he achieved on Tracks 2 and 5, I think the music is the biggest weakness.

In summary, this EP is worthy to buy purely for Track 2. The decision is made easier by Tracks 5 and 3 (respectively). If Azgorh had the inclination to spend more time perfecting his releases, I believe that this album could have been one of the best and most memorable black metal albums ever. Instead, Azgorh’s profligacy and artistic desire to constantly create rather than to follow through and perfect, has relegated this EP to a realm of relative obscurity among black metal aficionados.

Tune in or Perish! - 80%

Zephirus, February 9th, 2008

Drowning the Light (DTL) is a new band for me, maybe only one month at the time of writing. I’m always on the lookout for something different in black metal and DTL possessed those qualities from the outset. And there is nothing like discovering a band that has a great body of music on offer. This being the second release of no less than four full lengths in one year (I think that’s the first time I’ve seen such). The fact that DTL are Australian is quite shocking in some ways, because to me Australia doesn’t conjure up sullen winter landscapes and the dark atmosphere that this band creates. It’s just fantastic!

The first thing you notice about DTL albums is the dirty sound quality. Most people would probably be put off straight away and this is probably the intention, but once you tune into this sound you are duly rewarded. Layered guitars and synth thick with atmosphere. This album opens with a short instrumental, guitars buzzing a dual melody, and then we are into the first full length song and title track. I’ve noticed the vocal style changes on different releases. On this particular track and album the vocals are as inaudible as ever but strangely it is part of the beauty of DTL. This track is distinctly separated into two halves, the first 5mins somehow going by quickly then the mood changes in a second. The guitars drop out and we are left with a solemn drum beat and two dreamy synth chords playing monotonously until the final seconds. Azgorh does his best to spew his lungs up with agonizing screams. He is definitely not a happy chappy. For me there is always one song that makes you sit and take note when you are listening to a band for the first time, with DTL it was this track that caused me to investigate further and ultimately got me into the band.
‘Haunted Seas’ in a much shorter affair and continues to pummel you with the harsh vocal attack. Black metal is never without its wind and rain samples and on track four we begin with just that before lonely guitars spread a depressing tune, with an eerie flute making its debut on the album. Ideally you’ll have the lights, lying down to immerse yourself in the full experience of this song. ‘Echo’s of my demise’ is the final track and the pace is slow for its entire eleven or so minutes. There are no surprises here, just monotonous guitars and Azgorh’s unique tortured vocal style.

Drowning the Light are really pushing the boundaries and creating original music in a genre where I no longer thought it was possible. I would say this album is worth the title track alone if not anything else. You’ll know what I mean when you hear it.