Rough Edge: Year of No Light CD Reviews

YEAR OF NO LIGHT

"Ausserwelt" (Conspiracy; 2010)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

Ambient French metal troupe Year of No Light present a four-track, 48-minute multi-layered post metal attack with "Ausserwelt."

Bolstered with a barrage of sonically supercharged orchestral metallic movements, this album’s most predominant features include shimmering guitar lines that walk the line drawn by Isis and retooled by Pelican, well-measured rhythmic thumps whose thunderous thumps thicken the listening experience, and a nasty disposition that yields bleak pools of sludge and shards of progressive black metal, all without the benefit of vocals to cloud the thorough comprehension of the doom-laden world Year of No Light concocts.

Best served in one sitting (though multiple listens of the singular track are surely bound to reveal all sorts of blissfully aggressive accentuations), this album does a suitable job of unleashing a powerful slab of heaviness with both cinematic overtones and a flair for drama.

For more information, check out http://yearofnolight.free.fr.

"Nord" (Crucial Blast; 2007)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

Make sure your attention span is in for the long haul when popping in the sprawling effort by the French mavens of decimation by sound: Year of No Light.

"Nord" is the title of their 10-track, 60-minute affair where the musical compositions are as hypnotic as they are savage, juxtaposing atmospheric ambience with crushing metal throughout the course of the release to create an intense listening experience.

Yes, the shameless smatterings of Isis, Neurosis, and Godflesh embedded in this quintet's repertoire rear their heads consistently here, yet the way which this band showcases the massive buildups and suspenseful breakdowns which span throughout this duration of this epic tirade caste new hues of light over familiar shades. The pulsating flow established by this outfit's meticulous melodicism and brutal browbeatings help to declare Year of No Light as not just a clone of the aforementioned, but a force standing on its own merit in the pursuit of creating mind blowing music.

For more information, check out http://yearofnolight.free.fr.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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