Clearly, from the opening track as well as the second, entitled Destroy Us, 0 has been busy, immersing itself into the meditative, dissonant layers ov drone melody that we experienced from the first album. This is more like ritual music, however, with less black metal and more drone, and it isn't a bad thing, especially if you're trying to focus on something or need to escape reality for a few precious minutes. One thing that I really like about Destroy Us is the vocals. They're pseudo-chanted, pseudo-sung, and it makes the various other layers comprising this composition really stand out. I could picture myself listening to this while painting, using human blood and coffee
grounds as the base.
Listening to the following tracks, Born in Light and The Listeners, I gotta admit, I like this new rendition more than I thought I would. It's got this set ov high-pitched riffs that almost come off as bluesy, especially with the guy's vocals. No screaming to be encountered yet, though I'm holding out hope that it'll come in and surprise me when I least expect it. Another noteworthy accent is the difference in mood between Destroy Us and Born in Light. One is moody and fucking dark, where the other is easy-going and chill. Then the harsh vox kick up, just like I was hoping for, and bring me back from my reverie. Very nice!
From what I gather, the entire album is set up this way, with much more content than Simplifying a Demon. Clearly the denizens ov this band have been busy.It still holds that black metal ideal at its core, but it ventures further away from the stagnant to pillage the nightmares ov the living, and it is fucking glorious! Highly recommended for fans ov Sunn O))), Khanate, and Trees.