Cold Colours 'Cold Colours' reviews

[coldcolours]

Metal-temple.com

Always changing, not satisfying for everything that comes along, feeling the need to improve and find a new angle. Some artists think just like that, how to amaze next time around. Listening for the first time to the American COLD COLOURS, I was away on vacation in Crete, pretty darn beautiful place for who hasn’t been there yet, it brought me the chills, in the good sense of the terms. COLD COLOURS seemed to master the Darkened Metal arts, finding its way through the Doomy gallows right up the throat with bites off the American oriented Power / Thrash fling. That was the time of “The Great Depression”, two years back. Now, two years later, I received the release of their newly self-titled album, once again via Sleaszy Rider Records, and guess what I found in their little black magic box? Easily, a totally changed band but still led by Brian James Huebner, the founder and musical guide. I don’t know if to call this a devolvement or evolvement, but once again COLD COLOURS redeemed its earlier efforts in favour of a different path, digging deep down the earth, looking for lost tombs of the ancients, or plainly pinning for the fields of misery and mourning. Thus the result is a band of three forging Doom / Death / Black / Gothic Metal under the hazy lights of a burial ground.

I wouldn’t want to know what went through Huebner’s mind after reforming COLD COLOURS following the entire early lineup of “The Great Depression” lost and never to return, but again he found a new conception to live for, something deeper, wicked, agonised and tortured from within. “Cold Colours” finds the early rotten bestiality of ROTTING CHRIST, around “Thy Might Contract” era, early MOONSPELL and NOVEMBRE, BLACK SABBATH of course as every Doom act that respects itself, and just a little behind the darkest corners of MY DYING BRIDE. In general, I found this release impressive; a cool mixture of the dark knacks of extreme Metal music contrived by the aching mellowness of the slow tempo rhythms. Huebner is a terrific growler with quite a fathomable singing pattern. The riffery isn’t that developed, malignant but occasionally reprised like several lead guitar pains going on and on, almost being annoying (“Suffering God” and “Silent Speech&#8221. On the other hand, observing the opening instrumental “Orifice”, escalating slowly as the acoustic touches fade away, the music sounded constructive and thought provoking. “Disgust” was almost like its name, totally unneeded; it should have been a full track to actually matter. It seemed lost and roughly cut.

Furthermore, “A Loss of Faith” really went down deep into the scaffolds of damnation, a true essence of mysticism but also drama, a heavy reach out just abiding the classic nature of this genre. It starts blissful and ends with a farewell, but in between hell broke loose slow and easy. “Of Sand and Tears” carries on the same richness of the sorrowful vibe, the keyboards and lead guitars on the chorus, directed just same as old PARADISE LOST, taking quite an attention. Huebner’s clean vocals are a bit dry, but chilled enough to suit. Covering ROTTING CHRIST was a smooth idea, as you have to respect the main influence and band that aided on proclaiming the band’s name. Maybe through the bitterness and blackened flavours of this number, COLD COLOURS and Huebner found the band’s true crux. I didn’t really want to get too much into the album’s production values, as those were lower than the previous contender, but honestly it didn’t play that of a bigger part in my decision to rate this release. A decent work by Dan Swano upon the mastering but the engineering by Elder Marvellous wasn’t that peachy. Generally, COLD COLOURS is still a wondering entity through the veils of blackness, but it contemplation got me interested; I suggest you would hang to listen as well.

7 out of 10

 

[coldcolours]

Sea of Tranquility:

I'm not 100% certain that beginning a press release with the phrase, "the depressive doom metal entity masterminded by Brian Huebner, has released its fourth full-length album…" If I wanted to be depressed I'd watch a talent show. So I'm pleased to report that Cold Colours aren't in the least bit depressing. They are by no means a complete laugh riot but the album holds one's attention from beginning to end – nice Rotting Christ cover by the way, and if the production isn't exactly top dollar some of the songs are. "This Devotion" is the best with its insistent guitar riff which almost, but not quite takes it towards a more mainstream kind of metal, something which can't be said for much of the rest of the album at all. Give a swift listen to "Suffering God" and you'll see what I mean.

 

[coldcolours]

WICKEDCHANNEL.COM:

Cold Colours is a Minneapolis group created by vocalist/instrumentalist Brian James Huebner. The band is named after a Rotting Christ song, which is the final song on this self titled release. The project touches upon a variety of different metal styles ranging from gothic metal to doom metal to death metal.

Orifice is a misleading intro getting you ready for something completely different that the intro leads you to expect. I like the tease into something much heavier. Disgust and The Process of Dying start the album off with an almost strictly death metal feel, but This Devotion switches gears towards a more gothic metal type sound. From this point forward, all bets are off on what the songs will sound like.

A lot of the latter songs focus more on the atmosphere than the riff and both styles work for “Cold Colours” as they are able to pull these both off with ease.

Huebner’s harsh growling vocals are a perfect fit for the darker songs as his gritty voice takes the songs to that next level. The clean vocals work for the most part as well, but the power is in the growl for Cold Colours.

Suffering God is a straight doom metal piece with riffs pulled from the bowels of hell. The guitar tone and song melody work really well on this one. The album also closes out with the cover of Rotting Christ’s Cold Colours, which is a decent cover that does justice to the original. As you know, I am a huge Rotting Christ fan, so it is tough for me to approve this, but Cold Colours does just fine.

 

[coldcolours]

DOOMED TO DARKNESS ZINE:

Cold Colours are a 1 band from Minnesota that plays a very depressive from of gothic doom/death metal with some black metal influences and this is a review of their self titled 2013 album which was released by Sleaszy Rider Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the keyboards bring a very atmospheric, symphonic and gothic sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced gothic doom/death riffs that also utilize some melodic death and black metal elements to create a sound of their own as well as a brief use of clean playing, while the lead guitars are very dark and melodic sounding doom metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls to some high pitched black metal screams as well as some clean singing, while the lyrics cover dark and depressing themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Cold Colours are a very great sounding melodic gothic/doom death metal b and and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Disgust" "Suffering God" "Of Sand And Tears" and "Cold Colours" which is a Rotting Christ cover. RECOMMENDED BUY.

 

[coldcolours]

METAL RULES:

Cold Colours, the depressive metal entity from mastermind Brian Huebner has returned, this time for their fourth full length. Opener Orifice starts with Spanish style acoustic guitar strumming, with a sinister twist helped by the tribal drumming the backs it up.

Electric guitars wash over the listener as the track really starts, and the melodic layers build up throughout to entrance. The band displays a great variety of influences, from My Dying Bride to Cradle of Filth, the sound is also similar to that of British metal acts such as Aloeswood and the spectacular Old Corpse Road.

The vocals are very modern in their delivery, and are executed in a style reminiscent of COB frontman Alexi Laiho’s strangled screams. All of these elements combined into one release make for a great atmosphere, beautiful and exciting.

If you are using this album as background music, or simply not giving this piece the full attention it deserves, you are absorbing this album in the wrong fashion. The pure haunting qualities are best appreciated as one would appreciate a classic black metal album, by isolating oneself alone with just nature.

This record then takes one a whole new meaning, feeling both majestic and tranquil at the same time. Those familiar with bands such as Striborg will understand how much the way an album is listened to can affect the listening pleasure, and this album certainly follows the “no distractions” rule.

Unlike many metal records where keyboards are used, the guitars are still the main driving force behind the music, which adds great power and
more memorability into each song.

The Process Of Dying represents the more death and doom influences in an impressive and mature four minute tune, but lovers of the 90s black metal sound need not despair, for the closing Rotting Christ cover track provides all the grimness one could desire.

4 out of 5

 

[coldcolours]

DEAD RHETORIC:

7.5/10

Deception runs amok with the spelling of Cold Colours’ name, for it duped DR into thinking the band was from the U.K., when they’re really from Minnesota. Talk about two different worlds. It seems the band in some form or another has been functional since 1995, previously under the Wolfthorn moniker, then shifting to Cold Colours in 1999 for the release of Somnium XIII in 2000. Since that point, band figurehead Brian James Huebner has largely kept the band under his control and in productive realms, with this self-titled effort coming in as their fourth release.

Huebner and friends (who are really just studio musicians) play an atmospheric style of Gothic doom, spiced up by bits of thrash and death metal. Why they feel the need for speed is anyone’s guess, and while it keeps the album out of the tempo doldrums, it almost cancels out the sullen momentum they’re so apt at creating at the drop of a hat. No matter, for the delicate sprawl of “This Devotion” wraps itself it progressive leaps, while the dark-tinged “Of Sand and Tears” and “Silent Speech” provide more of an all-encompassing jaunt, full of harsh vocal pleas, and Holy Trinity of British doom setups.

Going as far to include a cover of the band they were named after (Rotting Christ’s “Cold Colours&#8221, Cold Colours might be a little too over the map for the conventional doom plunderer. Yet, once some of the songwriting snags are corrected, perhaps Cold Colours will stop being mistaken for a U.K. doom band…not like that’s a bad thing. Good stuff, nonetheless.

 

[coldcolours]

GUN SHY ASSASSIN:

This week, we’d like to introduce you to a band called Cold Colours, who were formerly known as Wolfthorn.

I like Wolfthorn as a name, but clearly, the band had their reasons for changing it.

Anywho, Cold Colours are a depressive doom metal band masterminded by Brian Huebner.

The band has released its fourth full-length album, Cold Colours, on Sleaszy Rider Records, and a song from that effort, “Suffering God,” can be streamed at the end of this post.

Why? Because Cold Colours speaks to me. It communicates with my bitter soul, and turns me on more than when women talk about sex in graphic terms. OK, maybe it doesn’t turn me on that much, but the song is fucking solid.

I think you should check it out. What do you have to lose, other than time?

Cold Colours is in stores now.

If you like your metal cold, desolate, punishing, and foreboding, you’ll dig this track. Trust me.

 

[coldcolours]

QUEENS OF STEEL
(translated)

The solo project of Brian James Huebner, COLD COLOURS, published last May, "Cold Colours", or what is the same, their fourth full-length. Formed originally in 1995 under the name of WOLFTHORN, the style of this project is difficult to define because it combines different styles ends without being able to label their music in a specific genre.

"Cold Colours" has nine songs full of dark atmospheres and full of coldness, seductive melodies and a plastic beauty worthy of being reviewed. With a catchy parts in the style of Gothic Metal, with that deep voice, those choruses that sound easy listening and so dense, COLD COLOURS us into the darker side of his personality. While with the most aggressive and serious pieces Death metalheads wants to feed us with insane rage while the mesmerizing passages of Doom Metal, fall into the grossest of despair thanks to a heavy hyper instrumentation. All bathed in a production that has managed to correct the ideal choice for every style.



Good job this "Cold Colours" which is intended to Metal lovers more open minded and who enjoy more heavily melodic sounds.

 

[coldcolours]

artemortificareviews.blogspot.com

Cold Colours Release: 31 May 2013, through Sleaszy Rider Records. The band hails from Minneapolis and the mastermind behind the project Cold Colours is Brian J. Huebner. Live and studio performers: Aaron Lott, Chris Arnold, Will Maravelas.

The first track from the album is Orifice, starts of with a clean strumming acoustic riff that has a BM feel to it - then when all the instruments kick in I instantly begin moving my head, like been caught in the rapture of its dark harmony, its a great song to open with. Up next, "Disgust", bands like Samael and Satyricon come to my mind as I listen. "The Process of Dying", starts with low guttural style of vocals followed by catchy and captivating composition, there are also deep rhythms with obscure passages for a few measures in the middle section, this has to be my favorite song so far. "This Devotion", drums are highlighted with thunderous double kick work, dual vocals clean and BM style blend nicely together. "Suffering God", setting a dark atmosphere, a vast void unraveling inside my head. This is a song that requires your full attention and imagination to be able to capture its dark essence. "A Loss of Faith", clean guitars with chorus effect, then a cymbal build up into a heavy verse with sliding guitar fills and dual clean plus BM vocals, well executed. "Of Sand and Tears", a somber mid paced track with clean vocals this time, somewhat surprising and a bit different than the first several songs, I do enjoy it, it shows how versatile the band can be and still set a dark mood with heavy overtones. "Silent Speech", this particular song reminds me a lot of Samael in its delivery, Guitars achieve memorable harmonies and create a solid composition worth spinning several times on my stereo. Cold Colours is the closer which is a Rotting Christ cover, I never heard it before so its hard to say exactly what the comparison is, based on what I heard - its well performed, drums are precise and there are several solos towards the end that will remain in my head for a time to come.

Overall its been and intense listening experience. Definitely BM rooted and also melodic at moments. I recommend for fans of early Satyricon, Samael or Emperor.
~Artemortifica

 

[coldcolours]

Markus' Heavy Music Blog

US dark metal band Cold Colours released their new album called also "Cold colours". The band is mainly Brian James Huebner. The rest of the band went through some changes over the last years. The band is not new since they released their first album already in 2000. The band plays dark metal with some thrash elements. They sound like a mix of the old Paradise Lost and the old Moonspell.


But the first surprise is actually the opener. "Orifice" starts with an accoustic intro which could have been even on a New Model Army album. But after a while electric guitars take over and the instrumental gains intensity. For me one of the best songs on the album. Actually I must say that the album starts pretty good. Also "Disgust" and "The process of dying" convinced me. Next to the faster tracks you will also find songs "Suffering god" which is a slow one - like lava out of a vulcano.


What is a little bit annoying is, that the album becomes a little bit boring along the way. This has to do with a lack of variety esp. in the riffing and the quite monotonous growling of Huebner.


I think, that after 13 years in business we could have expected more from Cold Colours, even though the album isn't bad.


(6/10)

 

[coldcolours]

WINTER TORMENT ZINE


Cold Colours is a death/doom metal band from the cold depths of Minnesota.The bands self titled fourth release is my first encounter with the band and main man Brian J.Hubner{vocals,guitars,bass,keyboards} labor of love and one listen and you will Brian's musical talent shine through heavy slow to mid-paced guitars that go from heavy,slow to a more mid-paced feel.Brian does speed up the drums and guitars on a few tracks for a more aggressive sound but it only lasts for a minute or two and fits very well within the musicial style and sound.If you enjoy early My Dying Bride,Anathema and early ninties atmospheric death/doom mixed with Brian's own creative writing style you will defintly want to check out the latest release from Cold Colours.

 

[coldcolours]

Ungovernable Resistance

Cold Colours is a death/doom metal band from the cold depths of Minnesota.The bands self titled fourth release is my first encounter with the band and main man Brian J.Hubner{vocals,guitars,bass,
keyboards} labor of love and one listen and you will Brian's musical talent shine through heavy slow to mid-paced guitars that go from heavy,slow to a more mid-paced feel.Brian does speed up the drums and guitars on a few tracks for a more aggressive sound but it only lasts for a minute or two and fits very well within the musicial style and sound.If you enjoy early My Dying Bride,Anathema and early ninties atmospheric death/doom mixed with Brian's own creative writing style you will defintly want to check out the latest release from Cold Colours.

 

[coldcolours]

Battle Helm Magazine

I have to admit that there is a charm to only using cold colours when you paint (not that I paint at all). As much as I like the warmer colours the cold ones bring out a certain sense of melancholy that I like. I hope that the band COLD COLOURS has that same stroke of melancholy. OK, so I’ve missed the previous three album by this one-man-project but that won’t stop me from diving head first into this new one. I know that there is nothing like a USBM thing but if I were to place this in a genre it would be that one. This reminds me of stuff like Wolves In The Throne Room and all other Cascadian/USBM acts that I’ve heard in the last couple of years. This mixes a lot of different metal genres like goth and prog and whatever you can think of but as with so many other cool acts this one-man-project manages to keep it all together. This one turned out to be quite interesting and not at all as shabby as I feared.
-Anders Ekdahl

 

[coldcolours]

Cosmos Gaming

This year’s self-titled release is my first exposure to Cold Colours, a group created by Minneapolis based vocalist/instrumentalist Brian James Huebner. Named after a Rotting Christ song, the project touches upon a variety of different metal styles ranging from gothic metal, doom, and even some death metal. It’s certainly diverse musically and there are some powerful moments, but there ends up being a number of different issues that prevent the material from reaching its full potential.

Early on Cold Colours sounds as though it might be a death metal project, as the earlier tracks have a similar tonality. But as the album progresses there is a significant shift and by the time listeners reach “This Devotion” slower death metal gives way to gothic metal and doom that goes for an equal combination of crushing intensity and atmosphere. I definitely appreciate that Huebner and his backing musicians have tried to encompass just about every facet of gothic metal and doom, as each track sounds fairly different from the last. One moment the group is pulling from the type of heavier, crushing riffs that have a bit of a death/doom feel while the next they have mellowed out considerably and gone in a direction more focused on atmosphere. However, while there are riffs that stand out there are some issues that hold the effort back. The production is a bit too thin at times, which keeps some of the riffs from reaching the type of fullness that would benefit this type of material. Additionally, there are some tracks where the instrumental work seems off sound wise and everything is jumbled together. While these aren’t an issue on every single track, the thinness and slightly messy sound pops up just enough to frustrate listeners.

Brian James Huebner’s primary style is a harsh growl that fits in well with the death metal and death/doom aspects of Cold Colours. His pitch has the type of fullness to it that allows the growls to tower over the instrumentals, and this is one of the elements that I like the most about this release. Starting with “This Devotion” some clean vocals are used, but unfortunately this ends up being another one of the album’s weak points. While the decision to try and integrate some clean singing into the material is admirable and does fit with the overall sound, the pitch sounds off every time the style appears and it quickly detracts from the material. Thankfully there are only a handful of moments where this is utilized, but if cleaner pitches are used in the future they are going to need some considerable improvement.

Cold Colours’ self-titled release has some moments that pulled me in with their intensity and atmosphere, but it seemed to frustrate just as often as it captivated me. There are moments where the instrumentals sound jumbled or too weak and the clean singing lacks the energy of the harsher vocals and takes away from the tracks it appears on. It’s unfortunate, because underneath these issues there are some decent gothic metal and doom riffs on display but the downsides simply overwhelm the positive elements.

 

[coldcolours]

Halifax Collect

I never know quite what to think of one man bands. From my experience, they tend to suffer from one guy writing and approving everything and not having anyone else around to run their ideas by.

It started off well: a short, energetic acoustic intro followed followed by a distinctly black metal riff (I hesitate to call it a song because it's 88-seconds long), and then into the main meat of the album. The high points in this album evoke Daylight Dies' very American approach to death doom, coupled with Agalloch's black metal by way of neofolk and a tiny bit of Dissection and newer Absu's thrash and clean vocals. So far so good, right?

Unfortunately, the low points just sound like a self indulgent mess of various metal influences that Cold Colours mastermind Brian James Huebner threw together because he thought it would sound good. Sometimes it works quite well, but a lot of the time just it doesn't. Combine this with the fact that the album is front-loaded with the good songwriting and the last half of the album is a directionless jumble, this could have made a great EP, and some internet exclusive songs for die-hard fans only instead of one full length album that starts going downhill halfway though. The album ends with an unnecessary cover of a Rotting Christ song the band apparently took their name from, which probably would have been better suited as a for fans only sort of thing.

Ultimately, questionable parts aside, there is definitely a lot of potential here. The first half of the album really is varied and enjoyable music that never quite falls into one category. However, until Mr Huebner gets familiar with self editing, the diamonds are going to continue being obscured through a big pile of rocks. [Sleaszy Rider]
- Tony Howard

 

[coldcolours]

Rock Overdose (translated)

The Cold Colours is Brian J. Huebner and Brian J. Huebner are Cold Colours! And to be honest although the band exists since 1995, he was unaware of until today!

Perhaps the unstable Line up and passers session musicians, not given to dark metal band from Minneapolis United States the necessary impetus to make the Cold Colours more known.

As it may, the fourth and eponymous work of Brian (preceded by three EP and a demo!) Do not know whether to call it "Dark metal", a more sound ears my .. Although dark, but let's say melodic black.

At the beginning and taking in the beautiful cover, actually believed and never having heard as I said that I would have to do with a gothic / dark band, but without being negative, the only dark I discovered, was the great pessimism as in very good piece "A Loss of Faith"!

The nine tracks on the album is short, succinct, well played, but without find something unique or special that make me stuck!

The only real concern I have heard is the cover of "Cold Colours" of our Rotting Christ, that I dare say that I found it even better and the original!!

Although as I said the disc was not anything special, it was not and petamatou, so if you get your hands on is worth to give it a chance.


Rating: 65/100

 

[coldcolours]

The Grim Tower

One man project (with the help of some studio guys) Cold Colours has been around for a while and likewise I've never even heard of them. Apparently, the last album was power/thrash but this one is back to the roots of the act which according to the mastermind, Brian J Huebner; is dark and depressing metal music along the lines of My Dying Bride, Amorphis, Moonspell, Swallow The Sun, early paradise Lost and mid-era Rotting Christ (A Dark Poem/Sleep Of The Angels as an example.) But what you need to know, is that this album is almost flawless. I know, it's a first - four fantastic records in a row. I'm not sure how long we can keep it up!

"Orifice 2:54" starts out with a dark flamenco approach that gets much heavier and reminds of Rotting Christ from the beginning. A good sign already. Then "Disgust 1:28" comes in as a quick opening track? I'm not going to question it's length, but it's definitely a dark and melodic beast. Yes, give me more. "The Process Of Dying 3:45" comes in, and goddamn. Did someone give this guy the old demos for unfinished Rotting Christ tracks for that period? I mean, he's got them down. Then there's this portion on the track, where the guy just explodes. Yes, that's fucking phenomenal. I know how it feels to do vocal work like that to those deep thrash riffs. It's fucking invigorating. What's next? "This Devotion 4:31" has this driving melody that backs the gravel... where have I heard that before... it sounds familiar. There's also a nice guitar solo. Then a violin. It's all done so well, like the guy's been wanting to make this album for ages.

"Suffering God 5:45" is next, a little more depressing than the others; but in a definite good way. Love the fucking melodies here. This one came out to me when I first listened to the disc, while sitting in the break room and eating a Nacho Supreme (which is essentially a mix of cooked tortilla chips, queso cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and heartburn.) and I'm definitely going to say that this song has such powerful vocal lines, definitely reminding me of the kind of vocal work that I'm about to do very soon with another musician. Whoops, did I just spill the beans? At any rate, "Suffering God" is probably the album's strongest highlight in so far as passion, doom and melody. It's untouchable.

"A Loss Of Faith 5:37" starts out with a light, yet dreary melody and builds up into a heavier nature. It's definitely more ravenous than the last track, but no less of a powerful performance. "Of Sand And Tears 4:21" tends to lean into more melodic (yet still depressive, so no worries) territory, and even though the clean vocals aren't so strong, the chorus is fucking relentless. Damn, that's what you call a chorus line and a chorus melody to boot! "Silent Speech 6:36" is the last original song on the album and it takes a while to start up, (Am I hearing some Matt Barlow in there?) but once it does; it goes for a strong finish. I don't think that Brian's clean vocals are that great, but to be honest; neither are mine. The disc ends with a cover of Rotting Christ's "Cold Colours 3:32" which is where the band's name and influences seem to come from most. I'm actually listening to the original to compare, and can say that I like the chorus on Brian's version more than on the original. However, there's no doubt that Sakis's vocals rule the day on the verse sections of the track.

Definitely an album you'd want to own. Brian has outdone himself with this tribute to dark metal and has done it with a precision that's unparalleled as far as modern metal goes. It's a definite blast from the past, that is more than just refreshing.

Highlights: Orifice, Disgust, The Process, This Devotion, Suffering God, A Loss Of Faith, Cold Colours (Rotting Christ Cover) (9 Tracks, 38:00)

9.5/10

 

[coldcolours]

metaltalk.net

Cold Colours was originally intended to be Brian J Huebner's solo studio project and called Wolfthorn, before he changed the name after releasing a couple of demos and involving other musicians.

Over the last three albums the sound has been varied with the ever changing line-up; ranging from Goth influenced progressive rock to an almost power thrash sound with the previous release 'The Great Depression'.

With this fourth and self titled release he has taken full control of the sound, aiming to return to the original concept of dark and heavy doom/Gothic Metal, the self title marking a new beginning for the band.

Musically this is a very good album, with Brian handling vocals, which are excellent; harsh, rasping and very varied in their depth and inflection, along with handling guitars, bass and keyboard duties. Additional help comes from Aaron Lott on guitars and David Richardson on drums and vocals.

Consisting of nine tracks in total, eight of which are his own compositions, the album opens on 'Orifice', a beautiful acoustic instrumental that repeats and builds as more layers are added. Although 'Disgust' is a short track, it gets down to business quickly and I love the balance of rasping vocals against the beautiful, emotive, repeat guitar segment that emerges here and there, something that is revisited on the next track 'The Process Of Dying' which has a darker feel to the vocals and a sombre edge to rhythms, something that sits so well against those beautiful guitar segments, a complete directional change half way through acts almost to a forewarning of the next three tracks become increasingly dark, plunging into the dark abyss of misery.

The descent begins with the beautifully doom laden 'This Devotion' where the vocals take on a deeper darker feel but intermingled are more intense, faster segments and a harrowingly mournful guitar solo. 'Suffering God' is doom laden and tortuous with dark deep harsh rasping vocals, with well placed guitar squeals that add much to the agonising atmosphere.

Finally 'A Loss Of Faith' is dark and intense but atmospheric and mood rich after the initial reflective opener, the first track to contain some clean vocals.

You start to emerge from the abyss into a miserable wilderness with the sombre reflective 'Of Sand And Tears', which contains a lot more clean vocals which do balance well against the harsh and give them a more intense feel. There is a very slight Goth feel to 'Silent Speech', coming from the combination of clean vocals and keyboards in places, but to the greater part it is just darkly depressing, another track with some really good guitar segments dotted in here and there.

Finally 'Cold Colours' (Rotting Christ cover from the 'Sleep Of Angels' album) which as a track considered on its own merits of delivery and performance is good, but when viewed from the perspective of a Rotting Christ fan, like myself, the unique guitar sound which makes their songs so stunning is absent, so from that perspective, sadly, it's not a patch on the original or as good as the previous eight tracks.

The aim of this release, without the influence of others, was to achieve the feel aimed for the project when it was originally conceived, of dark and depressing Metal music; I think he has, to a certain extent, achieved this, with the songs still managing to contain a deeply emotive beauty.

An album that is an enjoyable listen and that gets better with every play.

4.5 out of 5