In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
One of the great things about writing for Nine Circles is getting access and giving exposure to newer acts trying to make their mark on the extreme metal underground. This edition of Second Circle features Crystal Coffin and The Mosaic Window, two up-and-coming acts that generally fall within the domain of what we’d call melodic black metal; however, there’s more going on here than what that genre tag might suggest (e.g. dark blue castle album covers and definitely-not-Dissection-worship). Outside influences of prog and melodeath make for two solid albums that hopefully lead to bright futures ahead for both bands.
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I’m generally a fan of genre labels, but there’s a conundrum that arises; certain identifiers can hone interest in a specific release, but can also set unfair expectations for what I might want it to sound like (in the case of meloblack, I think I’ll forever be searching in vain for a release that hits the same way Sacramentum’s Far Away from the Sun does). Don’t let the album art that could very well end up in one of Dan’s monthly posts fool you (depending on taste of course, I find it endearing), Crystal Coffin’s third full-length The Curse of Immortality has lot more going on here than I expected from the melodic black metal description.
While having a black metal sheen all over it with raspy vocals and plenty of trem picked riffs and blast beats, The Curse of Immortality reveals itself to be very much an extreme prog metal album in a number of ways. “The Undead” in particular is a great example of this, with its expansive chords and effortless transitions giving it the feel of a modern Enslaved track — very high praise coming from me! Sci-fi synths, mellotron, and plenty of syncopated riffs demonstrate elsewhere how this is more than just a run-of-the-mill black metal album. This was a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book (or album) by its cover, and I’m happily surprised at the chance I took by picking it up.
The Curse of Immortality is available now through A Beast in the Field. For more information on Crystal Coffin, check out their official website.
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With Bandcamp giving artists instant global reach the second they hit publish (at least until the site implodes thanks to the greedy corporate trajectory it’s on), one of the coolest things to see is an artist graduate from self-released bedroom project to getting signed by a well-known label. The Mosaic Window is among the latest of such cases; debut full-length Plight of Acceptance was initially released back in June, and it clearly caught the ear of Willowtip Records who signed the band less than two months later (with the goal of giving the album a physical release). So what makes this album so special? As Dennis Reynolds might pitch it: riffs, melodies, riffs, melodies, and this just goes on and on for 37 minutes until it sort of ends.
Opening tracks “Comatic Burial” and “The Haunting That Follows” are driven by soaring arpeggiated melodies punctuated by crunchy melodeath riffs; this provides a solid baseline sound, and things only get more ambitious from there. A smattering of horns shortly followed by a breakdown, alternating between Gothenburg riffs and black metal, a Middle Eastern-scale melody coinciding with a deliciously heavy chugging death metal riff, there’s so much going on here. The production courtesy of Nine Circles Audio Thing alum Damian Herring is a bit rough (this is black metal after all) yet the riffs and songwriting shine through more than anything else. Even if every element presented isn’t 100% smooth, Plight of Acceptance is unafraid to be ambitious and that’s something black metal desperately needs — I’m highly anticipating whatever The Mosaic Window has furnacing for the next release.
Plight of Acceptance will be available November 10 through Willowtip Records. For more information on The Mosaic Window, check out their Instagram page.
— Colin
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