Retrospective Part One

Irish band Cernunnos' Retrospective - Part One is a compilation I am rather hoping will become available on cassette again sometime soon, as the stock had already gone by my becoming aware of this fine little offering. This website categorises Cernunnos as being black metal, whereas Bandcamp goes for the dark metal label. Certainly, this music is not always fast-paced in its execution, and there is an alteration between moments of screeching blackness and those of a more mysterious gloom, though sometimes there is a blend between these two moods. Synth and sound-effects play an important part throughout, particularly with regards this just-mentioned gloom, as well as sometimes for supplying a more airy atmosphere. Nice, cleanish guitar melodies are present on the two versions of 'Bride of Frost', which really contribute to fortifying the texture of this release and setting it apart from the crowd.

The character (rather than style) of Retrospective - Part One encroaches upon that of funeral doom on occasion, without ever sacrificing a sense of immediate danger - which is somewhat ironic, considering the title of this compilation. Industrial is another genre that comes into play through the tasteful application of a suitably restricted selection of decorative effects, all the while making use of these in pursuit of an appropriately 'olden' quality. The atypical gathering of components active here really have the effect of making you think, at one moment, "I hear Summoning or prison-era Burzum", and at another, "It's subtle, but this sounds like that snippet on The Cure's Disintegration album", etc.

I appreciate how the band has generally avoided a feeling of dragging faux-hypnotism, and made something captivating in delivery, while working with an array of elements that could easily have failed in this regard. There are one or two moments were I notice the general combination of instruments or components could have been expanded upon or otherwise altered for a richer soundscape, but this hiccup in no way blights the product. The structuring of the compilation is successful also, as it feels purposeful and not like a mere exhibit of artefacts A, B and C. The outro is a synth track, and it sounds more confident and hopeful than the other servings, which I like because it gives the recording a more rounded sense of adventure and seems almost to celebrate its glorious obscurity.

Ultimately, one reaches the end of a string of sometimes-simple but generous compositions. A nice package of surprises are contained within its thirty minute-runtime, leaving us neither exhausted nor wanting. This is certainly one for fans of black-doom metal to check out at some point, even if this is very much not a satisfactory or appropriate label for Retrospective - Part One. Conclusion: A refreshing reconstruction on a often-stifling corner of the metal spectrum; imaginative, fairly consistent, and sincere. 81 / 100.