Withering Illusions and Desolation

Austere. Adjective. Defined as either having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic or having an extremely plain and simple style or appearance; unadorned. Austere was a perfect name for this depressive black metal band from Australia. Not only does the band's name and country of origin share a similar first syllable, but the music is very harsh in terms of the pain radiated from these two individuals going by the appropriate names of Desolate and Sorrow. It is also extremely simple in nature and that is definitely one of the major charms of this band's sound. Austere really doesn't bring anything new to the table with their debut full-length "Withering Illusions and Desolation", as it is a fairly formulaic DSBM release. However, as simple and plain as it is, it is simply one of the most beautiful black metal albums ever recorded. This is music to die to. Literally.

The production is quite raw and thin which is, of course, a must in this style of metal. The guitars have an extremely buzzing aura to them which enhances the atmosphere greatly. These guitars are the prime instrument. They bleed some of the most melancholic and sad, yet simple riffs I've ever heard in a black metal album. Although there are a lot of bands that have similar riffs and song structures, this band gets their job done: to get these riffs stuck in the listeners head and perhaps drive them into a depressive abyss. The album's opener "Unending Night" was the first Austere song I had ever heard, and I immediately took notes. It probably only has three riffs or so throughout its nearly 9 minute runtime, but here, repetition and atmosphere obviously take precedence over technicality. "Memories..." is probably the best song on the album and contains the most beautiful riffs out of the five tracks in my opinion. A lot of people seem to dislike the 18 and a half minute closing track "Coma" for its simplistic, single riff that repeats throughout the entire duration. However, I find that it is one of the most haunting black metal songs ever to be released, simply for its minimalistic repetition.

Vocally, this album will definitely prove a challenge for some to endure. The band utilizes the DSBM vocal style that sounds like "howling" or even crying at times. The band was obviously influenced by the Burzum record "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" in terms of vocal delivery, and I have seen comparisons to the band Silencer in this regard. We do not hear the raspy screams performed by many bands in the more standard realm of black metal, and these high pitched screams are much more emotional. This is overall an insanely good album and it actually does sound insane in a way. At times, I feel like I am listening to something that was the product of being locked away in a mental institution. Austere sadly does not make music anymore, but the next album would definitely be a worthy follow-up, although for me, it does fall slightly short of this one.

The Australian two-piece Austere consisted of two members of black metal-veterans Nazxul, taking the pseudonyms Desolate and Sorrow. However trite that might sound, the gloomy duo left their mark on the burgeoning depressive black metal scene between their formation in 2005 and untimely demise in 2010. This remastered version of their 2007 debut comes courtesy of Eisenwald.

Like most bands of their subgenre, Austere builds upon the foundations laid by Burzum and Forgotten Woods. Dissonant riffs, hypnotizing repetition, and inhumanly high-pitched screams are the rules of the game. In that regard, Austere aren't breaking any molds, yet they accomplish to eclipse the genre standards. Tracks like “…Memories” are dripping of melancholy and sorrow, with a shoegaze-inspired wall of noise that creates a drifting and dreamlike atmosphere.

The abject despondency of Withering Illusions… is simultaneously both oppressive and hauntingly serene. A propensity for enduring melodies makes for a sorrowful mood that stays with you for a long time. Therefore, Austere is well suited for long autumn nights, and a guaranteed bringer of low spirits. In other words, this is about as good as it gets when it comes to depressive black metal. The weak point is album closer “Coma”, which features 19 minutes of one monotonous ethereal riff, and feels like skippable filler material.

This remastered version features a significantly richer sound than the original, which adds to the shoegazy dissonance. However, the promo I received is plagued by a number of glitches and skips which were not present on the original recording. I’m going to give Eisenwald the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a problem with the electronic promo, as the other improvements are a welcome addition.

Summing up, Withering Illusions And Desolation is a good example of depressive black metal done right. Every note is brimming with sadness and hopelessness, and the combined vocals of Desolate and Sorrow are suitably deranged. Austere is a band that will be greatly missed, despite only releasing two proper albums.


Written for The Metal Observer

Debut album for this depressive duo from the steel city that was Wollongong once upon a time and a deeply despairing one it is too. No doubt the changes in their home-town's fortunes have had their effect on the Austere men's outlook. The music is squalling blizzard and the vocals are unbearably agonised in their ragged screeching. All five songs that feature all very lengthy affairs with none clocking below 8 minutes.

"Unending Night" dictates the album's style with harsh bleeding-raw BM guitar fuzz noise, a steady beat and constant screaming voices far overhead. The music is reminiscent of early Forgotten Woods demos, only the Norwegians had a far more cheerful outlook on life. The track does not vary much at all, cranking out the anguish and the wraith-like howling non-stop. The atmosphere is very foggy and the production gives the music a steamed-up ambience as though even the musicians' breath is turning into swirling clouds of frost-tinged molecules.

As the album progresses, with each succeeding song the desolation and lack of hope grow. The musicians tread a fine line between bashing out the drums and keeping up a steady chainsaw guitar grind on the one hand, and on the other maintaining a sense of bleak hopelessness which does risk losing listeners. The music must not be so varied as to suggest renewed energy and interest in life but it cannot be so monotonous that listeners really would, uh, turn off and do something ridiculous to themselves. Most tracks are minimalist and repetitive in their structure and the singing never lets up in its unending howling agony. As a result, taken individually, the songs lack distinctive identity; they are perhaps best heard as chapters in one meta-work or variations on a musical theme. The final track "Coma" is an all-instrumental riff loop that experiments a little with atmosphere, space and texture..

If there is one really major criticism to be made about this album, it is that the drumming is a bit too strong and crisp for the music. Drums tend to ground music quite strongly and something a bit more unhinged, representing the state of the mind contemplating the end of life and what lies beyond, is needed. My feeling is that as the album continues along, the drumming should have started fast and then got slower, softer and less energetic as what little hope exists at the start dries up.

In all, the album is not a bad attempt in using just guitars and drums to convey intense anguish and despair at living in a dreary environment where there is no escape and one's worst enemy exists within. The music might not be subtle and the album does not go easily towards the inevitable climax when blackness becomes total. As debuts in raw depressive emotional BM go, this album is worth a listen.

Austere are a well established act within the depressive black metal world. With their sophomore effort To Lay Like Old Ashes being cited by a great many sources to be one of the pinnacles of the entire depressed world. Austere have quite a reputation behind them and in my eyes are one of the quintessential bands within the genre. Their highly melancholic strain of black metal mixed in with some of the highest pitched shrieks known to man creates a stream of emotionally powerful music, and although a few of the edges needed sanding down overall Austere have remained a hard hitting force.

Withering Illusions and Desolation focuses on a very different wavelength from the somewhat critically acclaimed To Lay Like Old Ashes. Here the band plays a more streamlined form of depressive black metal with very few of the melancholic overtones that would begin to define their latter releases.

The fuzz laden guitars create a powerful atmosphere, the riffing is suitably bleak and emotional, with a fair amount of originality taking place. There's a nice mix between melody and much more desolate, depressive parts. The riffs are varied and diverse, creating suitable amounts of depression and desolation where appropriate. The distortion is perfect for what the album requires, the guitars are very fuzzy and razor sharp. Misty would be a good way to describe them as the album as a whole appears to be shrouded in a thick blanket of mist adding a good sense of atmospheric weight to the music. ...Memories is the best example of this "misty" approach to the music, with an intro riff highly reminiscent of Life is Pain's Bloody Melancholy, it successfully creates a very bleak and hazy musical sound scape. The music feels as a whole, slightly labored and desperate, as though the musicians recorded it due to some painful duty rather than with any sort of passion. There's no real heart put into this, rather it basks in negativity. The album feels as a whole the result of musicians trying to communicate their pain to the outside world. It's not music meant to entertain, it's music with the sole goal of communicating internal turmoil and it does a good job of it.

The vocals in particular add the most emotional weight to the music. They're a set of incredibly high shrieks and howls. Whilst they can be criticized for being melodramatic and/or ridiculous, I find the overly tortured delivery to be highly suitable for Austere's music. The vocal duties are handed by two vocalists, Desolate and Sorrow (aka Tim Yatras). Desolate supplies are Burzum inspired howl whilst Sorrow uses a much more agonizing shriek, They work suitably well together, creating some of the most vicious sounding shrieks and screams I've had the pleasure of listening to. They're also extremely unintelligible, making it very hard to decipher the lyrics underneath the howls. The whole album sounds like an instrumental with incomprehensible wailing over the top, which creates quite an odd atmosphere. Needles to say the over top approach to the vocals makes for a very emotional and earnest listening experience.

Whilst I like Withering Illusions and Desolation there are several flaws present. Most importantly is that the band has a lot of ideas that just tend to meander about, some of the tracks sound too stretched out and lacking a great deal of substance, It renders certain segments of the music quite hollow and atmospherically bland. Another problem is that the band strays far too close to the well trodden path of depressive black metal. With the exception of the vocals and a few riffs here and there Austere lack any real identity on this one and it was only until later releases where they found their true calling. The riffs are the same melodic and desperate guitar lines we've heard a thousand times before. It's a shame really as there is some pretty good ideas on here. ...Memories is by far my favorite track as the riff that pops up half way through is original and well written. It's probably the most realized track on the album and shows Austere with their feet firmly planted.

Whilst overall Withering Illusions and Desolation is a solid depressive black metal record, there's a few flaws that need working on. Namely the lack of any true identity which renders several aspects of the music rather faceless. Also the final track Coma is essentially one of the most irritating songs I've ever come across, featuring a boring riff bing repeated well over 10 minutes it's frankly useless and halts the flow of an otherwise decent album. For what it is, I like it but I do think a much greater sense of variety would have gone a long way. Still, it's a treat for those of us who enjoy the genre, just don't expect anything groundbreaking.

For the debut album of Austere, it seems like they will always be recognized as the pinnacle of this genre of metal. Slow and melancholic melodies with loud shrieks of pain is a good description for this album.

Desolate has definitely shown his best work in this band as his instrumental work is phenomenal and captivating. He expresses so much emotion through his guitar work as best shown in the first track of the album, "Unending Nights". The music is well crafted together with much passion. His vocals are incredible, as if being tortured to death, fitting the music very well. With such melodic riffs of depression, and extremely powerful vocals, it is no wonder why the album is so great.

Sorrow's work in the album consisted with the drums which are very well put in and goes along very well with the music. His vocals in the album are a little different from Desolate's, but still fitting for the music.

The album is very great! If you are the type that must have good production in there music then stay away. Other than that if you just love the music for what it is then get this, it's superb.

Goddamn, I'm totally torn here. On one hand, 'Withering Illusions And Desolation' is a good suicidal black metal album which, when you appropriately suspend your disbelief, is emotionally powerful. On the other hand, it's some of the most hysterical goddamn music I've ever heard. If you think that Silencer is melodramatic, you haven't heard shit compared to Austere, who reach and exceed Happy Days levels of ridiculousness throughout this disc. I can suspend my disbelief for it sometimes and inhabit a world in my head where stuff this cheesy ISN'T totally dumb, but it requires a LOT of effort on my part.

The good: I like the misty, arpeggiated guitar riffs. They're very melodic and traditionally sad, but the precise breed of melody is unique enough to make them worthwhile. They're nicely textured, and the (actually fairly audible) bass forms a nice, rolling undercurrent below the fog-drenched guitars. The drumming is appropriately restrained, with periodic fills punctuating long stretches of double bass or trundling rock beats; nothing special, but effective. The vocals are a set of INCREDIBLY high and melodramatic shrieks. I'm talking about a Nazgul sort of pitch here; I don't know how it's attainable by a human male at all, since half the time it sounds like a prepubescent girl getting ripped in half. Fortunately, it works pretty well in the context of the music, which is uniformly solid: there's a lot of great riffs, such as that which pops up midway through '...Memories'. They're original and well written.

On the other hand, it's totally fucking ridiculous. Half the riffs are SO sad that they totally pass the point of being tastefully depressive and just move into Alcest levels of melancholy, like the opening riff in 'Unending Night'. Along with the deliberately grim drum and bass performances, the instrumental front alone is enough to inspire snickers in those not correctly prepared for this sort of music. But really, it's the vocals which send it into totally laugh-inducing territory. If you giggle at Nattramn, you'll be holding your sides as Austere's dual vocalists howl their little hearts out. Half the time it doesn't even sound like there are lyrics; it's just an endless precession of overly-tortured AIEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH sounds. '...Memories' is probably the worst offender, when about a third of the way through one of the singers just goes insane and starts letting out little stacatto bunny-caught-in-a-meat-grinder shrieks out of nowhere.

In all honesty, I sometimes wonder if this is designed to be a sendup of the suicidal black metal scene, as it is about as clichéd and stereotypical as the genre gets. Most of the time I listen to this, it's just the most ridiculous crap in the world and I can't even pay attention to the music because I'm too busy laughing at it. But the other sliver of times I listen to it, it all comes together and is actually as amazing as it desperately tries to be. When it's a little more restrained, like on 'The Dawn Remains Silent', I can get behind it more. Most of the time it's just fucking ridiculous though. I don't know, if you're one of those dedicated fans of suicidal black metal who takes it overly seriously and is unable to see the latent humor in the genre, you'll probably love this. Everyone else can likely pass because it's just so silly.

There is no serenity, only suffering. There is no hope, only death. And there is nothing quite like depressive black metal from Wollongong. 55 minutes of desolate misery, an aural equivalent to anti-Prozac and the unofficial soundtrack to your suicide.

Given that Austere come from a country where the summer temperature can average in excess of 40 degrees (or 100 for you none metricated barbarians) this is an unexpected excerise in arctic dirge. Slow burning and melancholic it's awash with ethereal distortion and mid-paced drums. The production is wispy and distant, and perhaps a little ruff around the edges but is the perfect complement to the smothering atmosphere. Vocally, this album transcends from the depressive to the truly disturbing. It evokes the death whistle of Nazgul(Ita) via the Noktu/Niege/Varg shrieking anguish. Completely unintelligible yet brutally appropriate.

It would serve little purpose to delineate each tracks merits given that the album appears to function as a whole. The template remains nearly identical for each song. However, the album sucks you in and swallows you completely, carrying you from each track to the next on a bed of icy stalagmites.

If you want blast beats, whirlwind riffs and infinite variety seek ye elsewhere. If you feel like slicing off your ears and crying yourself to sleep in a bath of ice shards, delve into 'Withering Illusions and Desolation'.

The Depressive Age: Part IV

Austere are no strangers to depressive black metal. Both members of this band have belonged to, or still belong to depressive bands such as; Funeral Mourning and Pestilential Shadows. This experience gives both members a chance to make music the way they see fit, without having to consult other members. At one stage or another, both members were in the Pestilential Shadows outfit. A band who have gained a lot of recognition inside and outside of Australia for creating effective depressing music which touches the hearts of many of the genres fans.


Austere were actually not one of my favourite bands for a long time. In truth, they still aren't. I didn't actually appreciate them much to begin with and thought to myself that they must be good due to their association with the aforementioned bands, both of which I do like. So, I took the time one day to actually sit down and listen to the debut Austere full-length, 'Withering Illusions And Desolation'. First, because the artwork appeals to me. I'm a very big fan of artwork which shows nature in a very negative and emotive light. The artwork for this particular full-length does that well. In fact, it fits the music well too and second, because of the aforementioned association. Liking bands by association is something I try not to do, but I did. So, I gave this my time.


Was it worth it? Well, yes. That's the simple answer. But why? Well because it's an album which fulfils the desires of most depressive black metal fans. It's desolate atmospheric nature is brilliant. It feels like no other album, which makes it especially good. There are occasions when it actually sounds a lot like Wigrid, specifically the track '...Memories', which is particularly depressive. The production is what sets it apart from anything Wigrid, whom are magnificent, have created in the past. The production isn't exactly what i'd consider top notch, but it's passable. It's haze and misty feel is rather apt. The artwork on the front of the album looks like this feels, if you know what I mean. It's hidden behind the haze of the lo-fi basement feel production. If you take the time to carefully peel away the haze of it all, you will find a very emotive album filled to the brim with sadness and feelings of a sombre nature.


Lyrically, I don't know what this album is specifically about. The themes suggest desolation, gloom and suicidal. All of which are obvious themes coursing through the instruments themselves. Especially gloom. This entire full-length has a gloomy feeling to it. The vocal enhance this stature by making shrilled screams over the instruments. On occasions, the sheer pitch of the screaming can cause a bit of a backlash on the old production, but it's not a major problem. The production was never that great anyway. It makes it feel more scratchy though, which isn't always pleasant. For the most part, it does it's job. Hold the music together long enough to make the atmosphere wash over and take over the listener. This is achieved well.


There is good progression of the themes throughout. Very good guitar work. It doesn't repeat itself too much, something a lot of black metal does do. It offers variation both in terms of the guitars, bass and percussion. Percussion is actually quite strong here. Usually it's full of blast beats and endless uses of the cymbals, but Austere mix it up. Making good use of everything and doing it well. 'Withering Illusions And Desolation' is a very good debut. Not the best, but very good. Well worth listening to if you're a fan of dark, desolate and depressing music.

This music is food for a soul receptive to darkness and the depressive. This tape contains 5 tracks of sad, mournful music full of pain and woe. No one track stands out from the rest in its method of execution, but they are all in the same detached, wailing style that comes very much to my liking. The production is studio-grade, although no indication is given as to the mode of its capture onto recordable media.

The songs are all long and meandering, with downcast melodies and dissonant chords streaming away into the distance. The drums and percussion are laid-back and unobtrusive to the smooth transition from one part to another, whilst at the same time, they add some dynamics to what is essentially the musical equivalent of a rainstorm.

The vocal performance is falsetto-shrill and very extreme. I don’t think a lot of lyrics are being actually sung here. Rather the vocalists (3 of them) shriek and howl in anguish throughout – the delivery rather than the content being the emphasis. The guitars are spacious and clear with foamy distortion draping the ringing of the steel strings in a veil of electric mist.

This recording is for the fans of Forgotten Woods. Favourite songs: “Memories” and “The Dawn Remains Silent.”