Grief Symposium – …In The Absence Of Light | Album Review

...In The Absence Of Light is certainly a fitting moniker for this release. Devoid of all light yet filled with substance, this is a record that has it’s tendrils burrowing deep into the darkest abyssal depths of the metal artform.

The debut record from the death / doom metal collective, Grief Symposium are fully aware of what they’ve created with this record. They know this isn’t a comforting nor even remotely comfortable listening experience. But that is the point, especially given the thematic inspirations, thematic lyrical subjects and ideological undertones. Inspired by how our own decisions alter the course of life around us and how faith in higher powers – and the lack of it – can manifest in abhorrent behaviours justified through a warped mind, the crux of the record is one of regret, one explored and presented through a monochrome kaleidoscope composed of all things dark and purposefully uneasy.

Despite pondered evaluation of our personal sins being a major theme of the album, ...In The Absence Of  Light doesn’t shy away from it’s overtly abrasive nature. Opening with hulking primordial riffs and echoing bellows that would be granted with approval from Conjurer and My Dying Bride alike ‘Among Dead Gods’ is quite frankly a baptism of filth. Corrosive and nature and cynical in tone, the track is bile distilled into sonic form, it’s presentation that akin to a regurgitation of blackened phlegm to the face. The borderline powerviolence stomp and D-beat hostility of the proceeding ‘Temple Of Decay’ only places further emphasis on the sheer aggression and antipathy of the record; especially given how it’s obsidian, esoteric nature is reminiscent to fellow labelmates Wowod.

However, despite such upfront antagonism, this isn’t just a one-speed offering of baseless and hollow aggression. On the contrary, under the scum that sits atop the textures of the record and coats the muscular riffs that drive it lies a body of work full of nuance; none of it pleasant yet all of it crucial. Whilst the brief mull and spoken word within the aforementioned opener gives one a brief glimpse of the intricacies of the record, it’s the nine minute ‘In The Shadow Of The Sleeping Monarch’ that see’s the Grief Symposium lifting the veil to expose the gothic architecture of the record. Blanketed by a grim and oppressive post-metal atmosphere and introduced by a spoken word rumination on faith that’s flanked by foreboding minimalistic fretwork, the track is a crawling post-metal dirge that ultimately blossoms into a beautiful key and viola passage alive with melancholia and splendour. It’s a dramatic moment, one totally unexpected given how Grief Symposium appear to be a band of pure death and doom, but one that’s disarming and elegant. Such a baroque and rich moment is ultimately counteracted by the revulsion and haste of the proceeding haste of ‘Veil Of Transformation’ though, but with the veil lifted, one is able to appreciate the technicalities of the record beyond the initial splash of bile.

From reviewing the technicality of this work, one of the most appealing elements of this bleak record is being able to appreciate how Grief Symposium have moulded their evident inspirations into their own framework and image. Of course, with the album being directly influenced by the pioneers of death and doom, nods to the forerunners and trendsetters are plentiful, albeit subtle. The doomed gothic requiem of ‘Decent Into Pandemonium’ and the consistent monolithic bludgeoning and tremolo picking of ‘Esoteric Mirrors’ see the band reworking the sounds and atmospheric tendencies of Candlemass, Anathema and Katatonia, taking such stylings prior to surgically – painfully – remodelling them into their own forms. These new models of Grief Symposium’s image are unique to the band’s dark design, yet nostalgic of the lives that come prior to them.

All of this – the revulsion the mire of riff-based misery – ultimately cumulates to the final song on the record; the yawning and cavernous 18 minute ‘The Amber Kiss Of The Sun’. For some, this will be the crowning onyx jewel of the record, for other’s a bizarre choice. Driven by lulling drone and synths shivering in the complete musical darkness, the track is a minimalist and atmospheric piece comparable to that of the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Ulver and the more withdrawn works of Bossk. To call it post-rock would be somewhat of a fallacy, but one could easily call it an audible gothic reflection of the inherent darkness and grief subdued by the herculean riffs and growls of the album. Either way, regardless of your stance, it’s a brilliant and unique translation of the gloom that lies at the very centre of this record.

In all, ...In The Absence Of Light is a must listen for musical and riff based misery. Whilst one can absently mildly appreciate the riffs and wallow in the misery, it’s also a record that allows and rewards further introspection and analytical repeated listens. Grim and foreboding, Grief Symposium have created a soundtrack perfect for harrowingly reviewing your tormented psyche and past regrets.