I’ve covered a lot of atmospheric black metal on this here review site, and I’ve been disappointed by mostly all of it. The time has come where I can finally recommend an album in this style that’s quite good. Miserere Luminis, a band from Québec, is an offshoot of another good Québécois band, Gris, whose album À l’âme enflammée, l’äme constellée… has been recommended to me multiple times by our own Alice. In fact, it was they who notified me of this band’s existence, and after one listen, I knew this was something special. So how do Miserere Luminis compare to other bands in this largely meandering, long-winded style of metal?
What Miserere Luminis does that intrigues me compared to what other bands do is effectively captivate the listener with their blend of traditional metal instruments, but also add in the less-used violin and saxophone, especially on instrumental interlude “Les couleurs de la perte”, which is a gorgeous transition piece and serves as a welcome addition to the rest of the black metal present. This group also focuses more on combining atmosphere with meaningful riffs, rather than solely relying on an endless deluge of tremolo picking. There’s substance and depth within that makes the instrumental breaks so much more rewarding to listen to than your run of the mill atmospheric black metal band, with the nice touch of piano adding a profound melancholic nature to the affair. I think this band is onto something here. This is their second album, since 2009’s self-titled, but maybe one day they’ll return again with more of their profoundly gorgeous blend of atmospheric black metal that more bands should attempt in their own work. Plus, the cover art is one of the best I’ve seen this year.
