R E V I E W
Cirlce os Ashes
The very prolific label Vacula Productions with the co-production of Broken Bones Records & Promotion, releases the new full length of the as well prolific Lilyum, a duo from Torino, Italy. It's a quite milestone for them, having released their eighth being active "only" since 2002.
Year: 2021
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Vacula Productions/Broken Bones Records & Promotion
Country: Italy
Country: Italy
Line Up:
Kosmos Reversum - guitars
Lord J.H. Psycho - vocals,guitars,bass,synths,
drum programming
Cover artwork by Bheltregus
After a temporary split with the consequent end of all the activities, the combo comes back with a release certainly not easy to listen, which requires more than one listening, also because of pretty lo-fi production, deliberately anachronistic!
Lilyum's songwriting is basically composed of quite long tracks, not very fast-paced, and inspired by Black Metal classics, with a slight industrial vein.
So the album goes by between long, melancholic tremolo riffs and distressing ambient parts, which create a discomfort sensation in the listener, who is then brought back by solid BM parts.
A well-programmed drum without being too much digital, but clearly inhuman in some parts, supports very gloomy guitars, who sound "distant", sometimes subdued, in my opinion; bass guitar is deep as well but fills well the whole composition. Synths are well managed and enrich the oppressive mood of the songs.
Worth be mentioned is the singer's performance, which ranges between disturbing groans and the classic scream; some deep growling parts here and there, in addition, gaining a great result, to recited parts with deadly intonations.
Maybe at the beginning, you will feel suffocated by the muffled sound, certainly very far from the nowadays' releases, but this album deserves at least a listening, or better to say, more than one, in order to be taken to a very iugulatory journey!
Andrea B.
Lilyum's songwriting is basically composed of quite long tracks, not very fast-paced, and inspired by Black Metal classics, with a slight industrial vein.
So the album goes by between long, melancholic tremolo riffs and distressing ambient parts, which create a discomfort sensation in the listener, who is then brought back by solid BM parts.
A well-programmed drum without being too much digital, but clearly inhuman in some parts, supports very gloomy guitars, who sound "distant", sometimes subdued, in my opinion; bass guitar is deep as well but fills well the whole composition. Synths are well managed and enrich the oppressive mood of the songs.
Worth be mentioned is the singer's performance, which ranges between disturbing groans and the classic scream; some deep growling parts here and there, in addition, gaining a great result, to recited parts with deadly intonations.
Maybe at the beginning, you will feel suffocated by the muffled sound, certainly very far from the nowadays' releases, but this album deserves at least a listening, or better to say, more than one, in order to be taken to a very iugulatory journey!
Andrea B.
