Release Date: April 15th 2022. Record Label: Dunk Records. Format: DD/Vinyl
Blood & Spirit - Tracklisting
1.A Wizard Grieving Over the Loss of Magic 10:15
2.That Which Does Not Kill 07:41
3.Days of Thunder Bring New Wisdom 12:33
4.Guilt, Disgust, Disaster 11:17
5.In Your Eyes I’m a Cripple 12:49
Members
Goatooth – guitars, keys & voices
Alex – bass
Alpha – drums
Review
Drone/Doom/Post-Metallers Nonsun have just released their stunning second album Blood & Spirit and with these guys being from Ukraine, this album puts everything into perspective into what their homeland is currently going through where my thoughts are with the mighty brave folks of Ukraine.
Nonsun play a heavy experimental style of Drone based Doom/Post-Metal with glacial slabs of Sludge Metal that gives Blood & Spirit an icy cold atmosphere but one that can be quite upbeat as well thanks mainly to their clever and progressive use of Ambient based Post-Rock themes. The album runs for almost fifty four minutes and the record is quite surreal and psychedelic on the stunning first lengthy track A Wizard Grieving Over The Loss Of His Magic.
The song is mostly instrumental Drone based soundscapes with small vocal interludes appearing when they need to. The song feels naturally organic with echoes of Neurosis, ISIS, Cult Of Luna and Pelican perhaps being an influence in certain ways. However, Nonsun are their own band playing their own destructive style of Drone/Post-Metal set against a stirring backdrop of Progressive Sludge Metal
Nonsun drive their hypnotic style of heavy emotional driven music across four more excellent tracks that allows Nonsun add Ambient Noises and Trippy Sound Effects to a bleaker style of music that appears on songs such as: That Which Does Not Kill, Days Of Thunder Bring New Wisdom and In Your Eyes I’m A Cripple.
The song titles do advise what type of atmosphere awaits you on this release especially of That Which Does Not Kill and In Your Eyes I’m A Cripple which are perhaps my favourite parts of the album. As they tell self contained stories with harsh grooves and sounds leading the way. The grooves are quite cinematic and that’s mostly down to the clever use of Drone atmospherics and Post-Rock/Post-Metal swirling delivery that accompanies the majority of this album.
Fantastic production values can be heard throughout Blood & Spirit with Nonsun delivering a devastating slice of Post-Metal/Sludge Metal with real heart and humanity.
Overall, Blood & Spirit is a stunning bleak release and if you’re a dedicated follower of the Drone, Doom and Post-Metal scene then Nonsun are most definitely worth your time.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
You can buy Blood & Spirit on Vinyl from Dunk Records now.
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