▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Nullingroots ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Take Care █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-02-22 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Maa Productions ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Nullingroots is no longer a strictly instrumental █ █ affair. On its latest album, Cameron (last name █ █ unknown), the band's sole member at the time of █ █ recording, added vocals to the mix. With the thing █ █ that made him stand out from the rest of the █ █ blackgaze world gone in most of Take Care's songs, █ █ one gets a feeling going in that Nullingroots will █ █ simply sink into the mire of samey Deafheaven and █ █ Alcest wannabes saturating the market, an █ █ expectation this album dashes. Nullingroots don't █ █ need no stinkin' instrumentals to stand out. When █ █ your production is this rich, your drums this █ █ vibrant and energetic, and your tone this █ █ melancholy, dark, and angry, and when they're █ █ presented with such sublime control, you have █ █ ascended to the upper echelons of █ █ blackgaze-forging talent. █ █ We've got something much darker than Nullingroots' █ █ previous zen-inducing releases on our hands here, █ █ folks. A concept album about death and depression, █ █ there's not as much room for the uplifting chords █ █ blackgaze is known for, especially when they have █ █ to compete with so many raging maelstroms of █ █ anguish. Those more positive-sounding elements are █ █ used more conservatively and more wisely this time █ █ around. When they do appear, which is still fairly █ █ often, they don't exude hope like they used to. █ █ Now that they're often used within spitting █ █ distance of the utmost dark and sorrowful black █ █ metal, they become somber recollections of happier █ █ days the atmosphere would be incomplete without, █ █ reflective of a longing for something the unnamed █ █ narrator will never get back. These touches of █ █ light, upbeat ambiance that would normally give us █ █ a feeling of hope are introduced into a hopeless █ █ environment, somehow augmenting the despair. █ █ There are times, especially if you're reading the █ █ lyrics, where it seems like Cameron is trying a █ █ little too hard to coax those tears out of you. █ █ Anything that could possibly happen in the story █ █ the album tells that could make you feel worse for █ █ the character happens and is often related to the █ █ listener multiple times. In the final song, the █ █ narrator says that he (I guess it could be a she) █ █ is dependent on pills just to function, which we █ █ already know, something that makes the album seem █ █ like it's saying, ôYou're not sad enough, damn it! █ █ Pity this poor bastard more.ö Despite all this, █ █ Take Care is an emotional experience that, while █ █ it can be heavy handed, mostly avoids shoving █ █ sadness down your throat. █ █ The album's music is a great companion to the █ █ story. The slow, mournful bits embody numbing █ █ sadness, the warmer passages, with their thickly █ █ woven ambiance, mirror the desperate wish for a █ █ dead loved one to return, and the more █ █ traditional-sounding black metal segments, with █ █ all their furious aggression, perfectly represent █ █ the rage one grapples with while trying not to be █ █ overwhelmed by the world's shittiness. █ █ Aside from just evoking emotions, this music is █ █ more than satisfactory as entertaining black █ █ metal. Cameron's guitar playing is nimble, often █ █ switching from slow ambient moments to sublime █ █ tremolo picking to scorching power chord-heavy █ █ segments that have more than a slight touch of █ █ death metal influence. The album maintains a good █ █ amount of diversity throughout its runtime, moving █ █ through numerous motifs that justify the lengths █ █ of many of these songs. Shifts in mood walk beside █ █ this parade of ideas without ever throwing █ █ something that doesn't fit in with the rest of the █ █ album. Cameron's skill on guitar is matched, maybe █ █ even surpassed, by his control and inventiveness █ █ behind the kit. In a black metal subgenre where █ █ drums seem to mostly switch from blast beats to █ █ playing softly along with the atmosphere, it's █ █ refreshing to hear someone who's not content with █ █ being relegated to the position of a background █ █ rhythm-keeper. '47 Years Stripped Away' offers █ █ this album's first trace of truly commendable █ █ drumming, which starts off as accompaniment for a █ █ slow ambient section but gradually builds into the █ █ centerpiece of the song's middle stretch, █ █ providing an engaging percussive pattern without █ █ detracting from the atmosphere. A further example █ █ of Cameron's drumming skills is the fill leading █ █ up to the impressive death metal-leaning section █ █ in 'Please Respond', which is completed with █ █ growlier vocals and some expertly-placed pinch █ █ harmonics. Speaking of the vocals, Cam's blackened █ █ and deathened approaches are good but provide █ █ nothing spectacular. This album's real strength is █ █ in the previously praised instrumental delivery. █ █ From the opening, with its memorable upbeat motif, █ █ to the end of the closing epic, which recycles █ █ this earlier idea, bringing the album around full █ █ circle in a thematic sense, Take Care is epic in █ █ scope, single-minded in its determination, and █ █ amazingly effective in crafting its mood. The █ █ writing is varied, yet always focused, and █ █ performances are tight and emotionally resonant. █ █ With the band proving to be just as good with █ █ vocals as it was without them, Nullingroots looks █ █ to have a fertile future, at least in terms of █ █ artistic quality, ahead of it, no matter where █ █ Cameron wants to go from here. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Why Have You Gone 2:15 ░ ░ 2. 47 Years Stripped Away 12:00 ░ ░ 3. Faded Days 3:16 ░ ░ 4. Please Respond 8:27 ░ ░ 5. I Don't Want This 11:40 ░ ░ 6. 40 Ounces Closer to a Solution 3:32 ░ ░ 7. I'm So Proud of You 13:08 ░ ░ 54:18 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░