Album Review: Naxen - Descending Into A Deeper Darkness
Reviewed by Rick Eaglestone
One of the most promising bands to come out of the underground German black metal scene Naxen look to embody sadness and pain on latest release Descending Into A Deeper Darkness
Although not a concept album the four tracks that have been constructed for this release are separate ideas that naturally flow into one another, the track lengths maybe an indication as the album progresses, they not only increase in length but also in the overall grandeur.
Opening with Our Souls Shall Fall Forever the band effortlessly demonstrate their ability to create a wall of woefulness around a cascade of fragility and fury, this again is all but encompassed in the follow up track To Write In The Womb Of Night the guitar work is a particular highlight. The three piece have grown and really identified their particular soundscape and as someone whose attention they immediately grabbed with 2020’s debut Towards The Tombs Of Times it is utterly amazing how something with such bleakness can cause so much joy.
Moving onto easily the albums most atmospheric outpouring A Shadow In The Fire – Pt.III (A Life Led By Loss) holds up as the albums shining beacon there is an immersive quality to it that is frankly unshakable where you feel everything delivered and fully appreciate the depth of the sperate elements coming together and creating something irrefutably structured and balanced.
The album concludes with Triumphant Tongue Of A Thousand Swords and continues the interwoven innovation and it truly cinematic in its delivery, sweeping temperate changes linger around a cacophony of depressive black metal with a doom style spoken word element that worked well, and I would’ve like to have heard this explored a little more.
The band’s singer and guitarist LN comments on the album
"It takes elements of the opening song on this album and develops them further. The song is a walk on the tightrope of violent anger and existential despair which represents the sound and aesthetics of NAXEN to restructure the common approach to Depressive Black Metal. On a more personal note, this song sees me reminiscing on the effects of dealing with burn-out and long-lasting depression. This means overtly repeating the same unfriendly thought processes and growing more desperate in personal suffering coming to the same conclusion over and over again, while grasping for the tranquility only to be found in the silence of the night. Rejoice, in the absence of light and hope!"
Overall Descending Into A Deeper Darkness really showcases just how diverse black metal can be and think this is not only a release that will appear in the genre highlight list for the years but in time to come will be looked at with a sense of reverence at acknowledged as a modern masterpiece of triumphant darkness.
