Depicting Abysm – Passage (2016)

Arriving via Naturmacht Productions, today we have Russian duo Depciting Abysm and their monolithic sophomore release “Passage”. Featuring over 47 minutes of melancholic Atmospheric/Depressive Black/Doom Metal, this release creates the perfect shroud of musical misery. For fans of bands like Forest of Shadows, Shape of Despair, Lifelover and similar outfits, this is one album that will sound very familiar.

Opening with the 11-minute bleakness of “Shelter”, the band slowly introduces us to their sound with incisive riffs, solid harsh vocals and a very mellow tempo that just makes things even more magical. The atmospheric elements thrown into the mix greatly enhance the overall depressive experience the track delivers. On “Shadow” things continue on the Depressive Black Metal side of things with highly emotional vocals and a very powerful bass guitar line. This track reminds us a bit of outfits like Lifelover.

The bands versatility allows tracks like “Disbelief” and “Gathering” to have heavy Atmospheric Doom undertones mixed in with brilliant Depressive Black Metal vocal onslaughts. The eerie vocals “Disbelief” paired with the straightforward riffing, make it one of our favorites in this release. Closings with the ethereal dreaminess of “Unity”, the band further solidify themselves as one hell of an Atmospheric/Depressive band.

In general, “Passage” is one very complete release that seamlessly blends elements from both the Atmospheric Doom and the Depressive Black Metal worlds. Delivering five long tracks, this release is ready to shake your core and ingrain itself in your psyche with its brilliant atmospheric passages and dramatic tempo changes. While not copying what everybody else is doing in the Depressive BM genre, Depicting Abysm manages to make the genre more depressing and melancholic with this release.

Label: Naturmacht Productions

Release: April 2nd, 2016

Genre: Atmospheric/Depressive Doom/Black Metal

Country: Russia