The Lviv, Ukraine
duo Nonsun clearly excels at living up to their disquieting moniker, carefully
representing the sound of a world without light. Their seamless blend of
sludge, drone, doom, stoner and post-metal crafts the soundtrack to despairing
resignation. They inhabit a world vacated by both God and the Devil, where the
souls who remain worship at the altar of a living, thriving sorrow; yet against
the odds there is a spellbinding beauty that follows this willful abandonment
of hope.
From the yawning chasm of album opener "No Pity For The
Beast, No Shelter For The Innocent" to the swirling cacophonies of
"Rest of Tragedy," Black
Snow Desert
is a challenging and richly layered sermon on the many faces of sadness and
regret. It bares sharp teeth, but within an inviting grin that convinces the
listener to subject themselves to whatever suffering it may be that enthralls
and beckons them continuously closer to the abyss therein. As with the most
difficult trials, the rewards are hard-won and multitudinous. Slow and measured
as its painstaking unfolding may be, there remains a breathless sense of
purpose, an aching to reveal to the listener sights and sounds they never knew
they yearned to witness.
Samantha Muljat's album art brilliantly captures the Nonsun
aesthetic – dark and unforgiving, Black
Snow Desert
also holds promise of an intoxicating mysticism, pulling the listener further
along its foreboding, sinuous pathways, eroding apprehension moment by moment
as one draws closer toward the ever-dawning realization of the journey's
enchanting power. With this release, Nonsun has deftly surveyed the
extraordinary endeavor of conquering fear, sadness, and the overwhelming
darkness by immersing oneself within the eye of its storm.
Black
Snow Desert
by Nonsun comes on double colored 180g vinyl in gatefold cover (reverse
cardboard). Black inner sleeves. Direct download included!
Release date: Jan. 25th, 2018.
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