Album Review :~ Ov Shadows - The Darkness Between Stars

This is a prism of unlight. A ruthless, demonic plunge into the cold arms of death, told by the blackest of scribes and channeled through an unhallowed wavelength that makes most black metal bands shiver in fear.The obsession with anything outre is not exactly a novelty in the metal scene, but occasionally it will assume a much more complex and nuanced dimension owing to musicians who insist on addressing such topics with utmost maturity and profundity. As caustic and demonic as anything released this, year The Darkness Between Stars is an unstoppable mass of swirling black carnage that is immediately haunting and intense. Numerous bands have created albums based around their own ideas that take insight from creative writing, but few bands will dedicate the entire span of an album to relevant interpretation of the belief With the emergence and escalation of the novel and notorious tendency. Spawning from the depths of Occultism, Philosophy, Chaos, Knowledge, Esoteric Literature is the newest record from orthodox black metal quartet Ov Shadows - The Darkness Between Stars. Ov Shadows this Gothenburg based Swedish group married the ritualistic fury of esoteric,occult black metal with a creeping dose of mystical,ominous,sinister madness. The atmosphere and tightly plotted albums were based on mystical, occult, incantation while still employing their own take on black metal.

On this year Gothenburg based Swedish black metallers Ov Shadows Unveiled their debut full length opus on this year entitled “The Darkness Between Stars” via Black Market Metal Label record label with 46:06 min running time along with hellish,skin-ripping, bleak, shadow-cloaked, blood-freezing artistry. This new album consist with 7 tracks . Ov Shadows was formed in 2016. This band consist with Waning member. They have developed into an independent mystical, occult and grand entity with their Monologues EP (2016). Now I am straight going to the point about this new album . 

When at first checked out their manifestation I was overwhelmed and track sounds so authentic,ferocious,mature from then I was clinched  that I have to check this whole material for sure and this would be savage beast. Ov Shadows delivers distinctly experimental, atmospherically evil,vivid,horrifying form of black metal.This bands each and every musician did fantastic job on this album in radiant way and It’s really great when your high hopes are not misplaced. This whole album reflects the grand diversity of sound brought together on this album . It is really not easy to describe their musical style . A natural synthesis of dissonant sounds and disparate styles all combined in one bold, enlightened display of unbound creativity Despite the often crushing,fast ,furious,cacophonous black metal assaults with a lots of segments of slower tempo too where Ov Shadows combines a atmospheric, mysterious, introspective passages with cavernous drum thrashes, melodic guitars and those effective rasps. The raw and obscure line is meticulously preserved while more current elements are inserted without compromising the quality and the old school line.

well,their latest incantations opening track is “The Darkness Between Stars” . This track starts with massive,fast paced, vivid black metal assaults. The layered tapestry of duo-tonal whirlwind of guitar noise laced with aggression,deliberate cadence and progression seasonings supporting the likewise vocals large voice drown a bit in the almost unhuman-like drumming, although this evolves to a more dynamic sound on the rest of the album. Their whole composition and musical style is impeccable also borrow great atmosphere with sour ,dissonant riffs work .When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done in a very  modern,  melodic  and  atmospheric  fashion  while  the  songs  includes great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing a great  amount  of  melody.

 This new albums whole compositions are extremely filthy and unsettling piece of sinister,grim euphoria and unearthly ambiance . “The Darkness Between Stars”  commences chronologically invigorating and destructive. Their distinct entity infused me by a lot . Their musical style have a quite soft and smooth edge in the synth playing which adds to the more atmospheric,unique kind of black metal but at the same time the vocals and other parts of the riffing is straight forward brutal,ferocious simultaneously . Honestly, after a multiple listen this album just blew me away with their ethereal abyss,multi-dimensional,the multi-layered,ominous musical style . Each musicians have exudes tremendous,cohesive effort on this album with excellent diligence and nailed it .Ov Shadows really does the trick for the atmosphere is the overall murky,mysterious, Juxtapositions of darkness and light, misty sound that comes from the music. I highly cite and embrace this album .

This album is filled with a slew of cadence, apocalyptic,pummeling, ominous,hellish, powerful riffs work . As well bass line up is whopping,intense,strong ,rumbling, slithering . Drumming,percussion line up is bleak, frantic,solid,clattering and powerful . The guitars are solely focused on creating a grandiose atmosphere, but predominantly rely on walls of sound and swerving rhythms.In each track morbidly delicious,macabre,soaring,dark eerie,ghastly riffs,bass lineups matched in well manner .This whole albums sound deliver a dissonant,grim feeling,sinister,melancholic,gruesome black metal with raw emotion and pure energy . “The Darkness Between Stars” endures beauty of black metal . This album indulge strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship . This album have a hypnotic effect on the listener . Vocals decently large voice that does well for Ov Shadows. Especially his menacing and hoarse voice are excellent . Vocals howling scream,immense,deep rasps voice emerged on this album in a well manner adds a thick murky sound and intertwined perfectly with their utterly spellbinding,obtuse,bizarrely arrogant, mysterious,fully blistering black metal,distant musical style with a lots of melodic,atmospheric accompaniment and embedded perfectly . Their sound,musicianship is absolute prime, with every song unleashing a seething torrent of scalding dissonance and insidious melody, scorching distortion, and barbaric, blasphemous invective, all of which combine to produce an overarching atmosphere of creeping, crippling dread. Overall you will get sinister,gloomy,desolate,mysterious ambient from this whole album .I really worship this band.

Each song have an energy ,fluency and draw a savage landscape .Stand out tracks are all of them .Every song, every hellish, skin-stripping riff and vile vocal incantation, is delivered with the righteous fury and unwavering conviction of the true believer.Vision of the album cover is Pretty neat,solid,atrocious,grisly, macabre, gorgeously hideous. Overall “The Darkness Between Stars” whole album is Spectacular,engrossing ,significant and goes all the way through with a relentless rage from the beginning. The sound has a depth to it, that with brief distortion. This album sounds so authentic and a truly remarkable sonic journey from beginning to end . Indeed this album is such an true gem of this year . The production is absolutely impeccable,capable of handling both the massive atmospheric and gargantuan heft.Outstanding another one release of this year so far .“The Darkness Between Stars” is shattering culmination in black metal evolution. The Swedish bruisers still possess all the necessary skills and hard-won experience to put younger,newcomer challengers in their place.With "The Darkness Between Stars", Ov Shadows writes another chapter in their book of successive masterpieces. If you looking for something different, epic this album will take you on a sophisticated and weighty black metal journey into another universe where music has the power to transcend the spoken word.

My Rating – 4.9/5   Review done by - Souvik Basu. Published on 18/03/2018