My fellow black metal fiends! Sean here from the Black Metal Archives, and today we have something extremely special to share with you, we are diving into the abyss with Ashen Pall’s latest release, The Elegy of Waning Mortality. A bleak and uncompromising journey through desolation, this album fuses atmospheric black metal with elements of funeral doom, crafting a sound both suffocating and immersive.
For those that do not know, Ryan of Ashen Pall is a dear member of our Black Metal Archives family, everything you see around you in this new, darker, environment is all thanks to Ryan! So, I am honored today to share this review with you, and encourage you to run over to Bandcamp, or Ampwall (pick your poison) immediately, and turn this album up to eleven, because we just finished blasting here at the Black Metal Archives, and are extremely proud of the work Ashen Pall has done on this album, let’s dive in!
The album opens with the title track, a slow-building instrumental that sets an ominous tone before plunging into “Shackles of Existence.” Here, beautifully shredded guitar melodies swirl amidst cavernous howls, layered over a relentless yet mournful drum performance. “Beyond the Shadow” leans into melancholic riffing, its mid-paced structure allowing for eerie, trance-like moments, while “Aura of Ash” highlights the band’s mastery of layering melodies, with dissonant chords conjuring a bleak soundscape akin to early Shining or Forgotten Tomb.
The production strikes a balance between rawness and clarity, ensuring each instrument cuts through without losing the cavernous atmosphere. The bass plays a crucial role, thick and brooding, anchoring the sorrow-laden tremolo riffs. Drumming alternates between methodical doom-laden pacing and frantic blast beats, enhancing the album’s oppressive weight.
One of the album’s strongest moments, “Celestial Nihilism,” opens with eerie, clean guitars before plunging into a maelstrom of feral shrieks and relentless percussion. “Descent” maintains this hypnotic sorrow, with subtle synths accentuating the sense of impending collapse. “Emperor of Nothing” and “Covenants of Dust” deliver some of the album’s most ferocious moments, rife with blistering speed and tortured vocal performances.
Closing the album is “Perdition,” a soul-crushing, dirge-like composition that lingers long after the final notes fade. It’s slow, methodical pacing leaves the listener engulfed in an overwhelming sense of finality—an apt conclusion to an album drenched in bleakness.
Ashen Pall’s ability to weave together melody, aggression, and sorrow places them firmly within the modern black metal landscape. For those who revel in the abyssal depths of depressive, atmospheric black metal, The Elegy of Waning Mortality is essential listening, so again, head over to Bandcamp or Ampwall and stream/purchase it!
Until next time, stay grim and keep the black flame burning!
