Beyond Light – Paintings in the Hall (2014)

Delivering 11 tracks of emotional Depressive Black Metal, today we have one-man band Beyond Light and their sophomore release “Paintings in the Hall”. Clocking in at around 63 minutes, this album offers us glimpses into the band’s dark world with unique songs that loosely interconnect with each other. Mostly recommended for people not afraid to experiment and look outside the box, this release will command your attention since the first minute.

Opening with the somber “Blind But Drawing” intro, the band gets down to business with the very eerie and mysterious “Painted Memories”. The atmosphere is very well crafted, before we get to hear any vocals or fast parts, making it very effective in immersing the listeners. Depressive BM should be moody and firm, things that are perfectly embodied in “Beneath The Horizon” and “Her Broken Face”, two of the albums best tracks.

Not afraid of change, the band perfectly mixes melodic passages with harsh and faster interludes of raw Black Metal, making up for a very diverse and punishing sound. After a very creepy opening, “Coming Back At Last” is hands down our favorite song due to its very dense atmosphere and solid riffing. The spoken-word samples are very well used to transmit different emotions, greatly complementing the band’s already very unique musical vision.

The melancholic “Overflowing Fragments” comes in second in terms of the best song in the release thanks to its eerie whispers and mellow acoustic guitars. Often polarizing, the tracks in this release are very uniquely arranged to change the listener’s mindset and try to catch them off-guard, something that works most of the time. Closing strong with the dissonant “Tempest of Light”, we are left wanting more from Beyond Light.

As a whole, “Paintings in the Hall” is a very unique and disturbing release that never settles or gets monotonous. The band does a great job in delivering very engaging songs that will puzzle you and leave you in awe. If you like atmospheric and experimental Depressive Black Metal, this is a release definitely worth checking out.

Label: Maa Productions

Release: December 3rd, 2014

Genre: Depressive Black Metal

Country: Netherlands