The Howling Void – The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn (2017)

Brilliantly mixing all kinds of Doom Metal subgenres together with outside elements from Black Metal and even Pagan Metal, today we have one-man outfit The Howling Void and their sixth full-length release “The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn”. Feeling part like an homage to bands like My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Shape of Despair, Tenhi, etc., this band crafts a very cohesive and melancholic style that is perfect for any fan of the genre, and produce five enchanting tracks in this release.

Opening with the mysterious “Distant Shores”, we get a very cool interplay between clean and distorted guitars and the atmospheric synths. The clean vocal passages remind us a bit Empyrium, however the track is more on the heavier Doom Metal side of things with even some riffs bordering in BM-territories. The mood picks up a bit with the more intense “A Seed on Stone”, a track that features very powerful drumming and it even feels at some points like Pagan Metal.

The album title track returns to more familiar Atmospheric Doom territories with sweeping guitars and very intense atmospheric elements. We particularly enjoy how well paced and melancholic this track is, with the moody clean vocals creating a very demoralizing atmosphere. Our favorite track is the mellow “Silence and the Setting Sun”, a piece that has some funeral Doom elements but with a different twist, making it quite engaging.

Closing the release, we have the punishing “When I Am Forgotten” and its Alcest-like elements and vocal arrangements. This track is quite engaging and diverse, throwing in some jazzy elements to craft a very unique atmosphere. Overal, “The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn” is a very engaging and different release for fans of Doom Metal and related genres. The man behind The Howling Void is clearly very talented and is has good ear for making unique melancholic music, so be sure to keep an eye out for this outfit.

Label: Avantgarde Music

Release: December 18th, 2017

Genre: Doom Metal

Country: USA