ALBUM PREMIERE: DISPERSE INTO THE ETHER WITH SOMBER BLACK METAL PROJECT UNSOULING
As the year ticks by we all as humans become keenly aware of a few things. The passage of time, our face morphing in those we would have recognized as our parents', thoughts of mortality and the coming of Fall or Autumn or whatever it is you call it, and maybe also some random thoughts about your favorite lines of poetry ("You like it under the trees in autumn, / Because everything is half dead. / The wind moves like a cripple among the leaves / And repeats words without meaning"). Amid that smoking heap of melancholy and cheap white wine you might also realize that with the year rounding its final corner what you thought was an insane year of extreme, artistic music is going to get that much better.
One omen of that feeling (not the parents, death part, the music part) is the release of the sophomore full-length from enigmatic, sombre, and soul-snatching black metal project Unsouling, Outward Streams of Devotional Woe due to come out this weekend via the wonderful I, Voidhanger Records. You may have noticed Unsouling's greatly underrated debut, Vampiric Spiritual Drain that came out last year, a majestic, heartbreaking album. But, speaking of underrated, you may also know some of the other work by Unsouling mastermind A.S., such as Floating Black Prism and, most importantly, one of my absolute favorite modern black metal projects, Feral Light, one that sadly shuttered its venomous doors with the release of the masterful A Reckoning with the Intangible late last year. You may not have partaken in some Feral Light before their untimely demise, but that last album is a good place to start. It might be my favorite by them (also made it to my dumb, preemptive middle-of-the-decade list).
It is for these and many other reasons that I am very honored to be able to present the newest Unsouling effort to you all, a few days before its official release. This isn't break-neck black metal, this is a slow-drip bag for the soul, with each track digging deeper and deeper. It's a wonderful release, easily one of my favorites this year, and a must for lovers of expansive, and, yes, melancholy black metal. Check it out here, buy it wherever you buy things, and support Unsouling wherever they roam.
If you're new to this metal blog of bones you can also check out the various interview projects I have going on as well as the weekly recommendation posts. And if you'd like to keep abreast of the latest, most pressing developments follow us wherever I may roam (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Bluesky, etc), and listen to my, I guess, active? (no) podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple), and to check out our amazing compilation albums. You could also possibly support my unholy work here (Patreon), if you feel like it. Early access to our bigger projects, weekly exclusive recommendations and playlists, and that wonderful feeling that you're encouraging a life-consuming habit. It's probably a bad idea, but to each their own. On to the list.
Get the new record here. And if you're still in a record-buying mood, get our new charity compilation here. Keep safe.
