_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Ill Omen ::\ :: Album :: ╞.Thy.Rift :: :: Year :: 2016 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Nuclear War Now! R.date :: 2017.03.09 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: ANTI-GOTH 306 Size :: 75,72 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 269kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo . . . Website :: https://illomenvoid.bandcamp.com/ __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. I. ╞.Thy.Rift 13:53 :: :: 02. II. ╞.Thy.Rift 08:16 :: :: 03. III. ╞.Thy.Rift 14:13 :: :: 04. IV. ╞.Thy.Rift 03:28 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 39:50 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Black metal has long been a vehicle of choice for an :: :: individual to express oneself independently and solitarily, :: :: albeit with differing degrees of success depending on the :: :: quality of the artist's songwriting ability and :: :: musicianship. When these two attributes are of a higher :: :: caliber, a one-man entity completely devoid of the potential :: :: need to compromise his vision with those of a group of :: :: collaborators can flourish. Perhaps it is for this very :: :: reason that IV, the lone member of Ill Omen, has again :: :: succeeded in creating some of the most resonant black metal :: :: of recent times with "╞.Thy.Rift," the band's third full- :: :: length album and its fourth release on Nuclear War Now! :: :: Productions. As with Ill Omen's previous output, :: :: "╞.Thy.Rift" exudes an organic continuity within each song :: :: and across all tracks on the album, which is an outcome :: :: often not realized when multiple songwriters and musicians :: :: are employed. This consistency is achieved by the :: :: implementation throughout of dual bass guitar layers (one :: :: clean and one distorted), notably skeletal percussion, the :: :: churning, choir-like atmosphere of tremolo-picked guitars, :: :: and a blend of chanted, whispered, and traditional black :: :: metal vocals. The singularity of this release is further :: :: cemented by the lack of distinction in track titles, a :: :: characteristic which serves to present the album as a sum of :: :: inseparable parts. In other words, and especially given the :: :: ritual-like quality of the record in its entirety, it is :: :: safe to interpret each track as a necessary component of a :: :: collective opus whose individual pieces were not created :: :: with the ability to sustain themselves independently of the :: :: work as a whole. What most readily sets this particular :: :: release apart from previous Ill Omen recordings is a more :: :: dedicated adherence to slower, more doom-oriented tempos, :: :: which are very well suited to this ceremonial variety of :: :: black metal. The listener may very well be left with the :: :: impression that this is the soundtrack in the mind of a :: :: disease-ridden being on its deathbed, at times feeling an :: :: almost celestial bliss at peace with the impending end of :: :: suffering, but at other times tormented by the physical and :: :: spiritual decay that will inevitably lead to its ruin. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2017 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :