One Listen Review
1st Listen 3 July 24
Reviewed 24 July 24
Liminal Shroud – Visions of Collapse
Willowtip Records
Released 5 July 24
It has been a few weeks since I checked out the 3rd album by Canadian Black Metal outfit Liminal Shroud. Although to limit Visions of Collapse to the genre is perhaps unfair, the band inject enough atmosphere and melody into the 5 tracks on offer to raise it above mere Black Metal sound. Fortunately, although it is a while since the one and only listen, I have notes to help me out!
Most of the tracks are fairly lengthy, all but 1of them clocking in at over 9 minutes. Fortunately, this doesn’t affect the album and you can immerse yourself into the progressive content of the album.
Opening song, ‘Nocturnal Phosphoresence’ is a decent start. A welcoming growl introduces the album and the riff supports the weight of the track. Vocally, you won’t get anything out of the ordinary from the band (aside from a clean vocal section in ‘Resolve’ and in ‘Malaspina’). It is typical black metal fayre, as is the drumming.
With the tracks being of the longer variety, it is essential that they vary tempos, even within the songs themselves. This happens frequently, adding to the atmospheric delivery.
The intro’s to the tracks epitomise this approach, with ‘Nucleonic Blight’ providing restraint in the opening section, before the main riff kicks in after a minute and a half.
It’s all enjoyable stuff.
Why is it, then, that I haven’t really wanted to listen to it in the 3 weeks from the 1st listen?
The fact is that, despite the album rising out of the constraints of the Black Metal genre, the core of the album is deeply rooted there. There is not enough of a challenge to the genre to make it stand out, nor does it deliver a superior ‘pure’ black metal album.
That said, it is worthy of a listen, and if the mood takes me I will listen to it again, just not today.
The DevilsHorns 
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