Voust

Taking a break from the regular highlighted double-bass assaults and two-note guitar babbling comes Locus Mortis' release, Voust. I initially only heard one song from their album, and it captured my attention for some strange reason. It is hard to compare them to many black metal groups, and in some cases, they do not shine as pioneers of a new sound. But their overall melancholy, dreading theme and speedy but forlorn melodies are enough to interest those with a yearning to ponder morbid thoughts for around 43 minutes.

Locus Mortis' team uses an overall minor sound and somewhat slower-paced guitar work to create their mood. Their song composition is fairly formulaic, and yet, you do not find yourself being blasted with a wall of boring. More like a slow drowning of similar noises. They find a curious middleground between droning sounds and shifting chords and notes to regain your attention until you get weary, and then rekindle your interest. The vocals remain raspy and shift from a subtle and almost whispery high to a softened growl, which does remarkably well blending in with the instruments but still remaining pronounced enough to lead each segment. Unfortunately, all of this stays the same for most of the album.

From their first track to "Sonno Eterno", a more mellow and unsettling feeling taints their sounds. They are very fond of maintaining a similar rhythm and note pattern for a few measures, and then quickly leap to another set, repeat. When we finally reach Resti, which I believe is the best track, it catches you off-guard with a far more aggressive approach. After the first minute or so, I found it returning to the norm experienced in the first three tracks. Admittedly, Resti drags on for awhile, picks up, and returns to the usual. The first part is catchy, I will say, and if anything, that track should be the pinnacle of Voust's accomplishment.

"Avvento" and beyond carries similar song designs for the rest of the album. At times it picks up, at times it's a strange, foreboding length of no progress whatsoever. The final track, "Voust", caught me off-guard. But then it transformed into an accelerated version of the prior tracks. However, what I suppose really interests me about this release is that creates the atmosphere of dread. Whether it's an unsettling feeling in your gut from the negative sounds, or too much alcohol, or a dread because there's really no change in each song' structure, it's there. I would recommend this for anyone yearning for background music while writing misanthropic poetry or thinking about artistic and overcomplicated ways to murder a loved one. Otherwise, the novelty that shows up with this release becomes fairly monotonous after awhile.

My favorite tracks were "La XIII Porta", "Resti" and "Avvento". Otherwise, you may hear the same things over and over. It's a very good change from the usual black metal, and for those who enjoy a slower, more "uncomfortable" feeling with their music, Voust will give you exactly that.

I gave it a higher rating than one would expect because Locus Mortis is not afraid to give you an abundance of their style, and some of it, initially, is rather intruiging.