Album Review: At One with the Night Sky by Lightlorn (Black Lion Records)

Swedish cosmic black metal duo Lightlorn emerges from the void with their newest creation, At One with the Night Sky, set for release on the 29th of September via Black Lion Records.

If you enjoy contrasting song structures and the interplay between light and dark, between stirring and gloomy, and between serene and aggressive, then At One with the Night Sky may be an album you need to hear. Brimming with dark, melancholy passages and wistful bridges interspersed with soaring crescendos and uplifting melodies, At One with the Night Sky is a post-black metal tour de force. From the opener “Amongst Stellar Remnants” to the closing track “Earthbound,” the album takes the listener on a sublime journey through the inner depths of the human psyche to the outer reaches of the cosmos.

Lightlorn mastermind, Renwar, comments:

“While writing the songs for this album, I didn’t want to deviate too much from the style we had established on our EP (2022’s These Nameless Worlds). I wanted to keep the mix of melancholy and uplifting, but, overall, I think these songs are slightly darker. Of course, it’s not all sorrowful and miserable – there are still plenty of upbeat parts. Although most of the songs are relatively long, there are a couple of shorter songs on the album. We are extremely proud of how the album turned out. There’s a clear improvement in terms of songwriting, and we hope that our listeners will enjoy the album as much as – or even more than – the EP.”

Lightlorn is Renwar on all musical instruments and vocals and Riaan on drums and programming. At One with the Night Sky was recorded at Svart Studio, mixed and mastered by David Mauritzon at Soundtornado and comes with album artwork courtesy of Warren Graham of I and I Artwork.

At One with the Night Sky comes with 7 tracks and around 51 minutes of metal to get stuck in to starting with Amongst Stellar Remains. Within a very short time, Lightlorn’s ability to create a consuming atmposphere becomes clear. Some effects in the intro give way to a post black metal intro with thick riffing and a backing of thoughtful melody. A sudden drop to clean melody, a sudden pick back up to a vicious onslaught of power and aggression comes as the growled vocals spit fire and the drums rain thunder down upon us. It’s heavy, fast but also deep and meaningful helped a lot by the higher tone on a line of guitars being quite high in the mix. It’s a strong start to At One with the Night Sky, instantly grabbing your attention and holding it.

A Tragedy in Starlight keeps the quality at a very high level and really brings that cosmic feel, transporting you into other worlds with the synth passages that interrupt rhythmic, heavier sections. Strong, but more groove laden drum and bass lines combine with the ethereal guitar melodies in a stunning way with vocals that have plenty of power and presence. It’s hypnotic to listen to and offers loads of variety with many transitions and switches in pace and tone. Occasionally pulling you into darker places during the more intense moments, but also offering moments of clarity and light through the guitar melody and programming.

Dimensionless Blackness and Ghostly Soliloquies are up next. The former starting with a calming effect and a clean ringing guitar that is quite soothing to listen to and acts as the perfect foil for the transition into a much meatier track. The drums are masterful, I love the tapping style and then the blasting sections as we get even heavier. The many stops and starts in this track really do pull you all over the place but I adore the combination of all of these instruments when they come back together offering a song that is melodic, expansive but also intensely heavy in both emotion, pace and ferocity. Ghostly Soliloquies folows and is a planet sized near 9 minute track which give Lightlorn even more time to display their creativity.

A lot of what we have had so far comes again in style, yet without ever sounding repetitive. Each track has a clearly distinguishable identity but clearly all belong together. They are all At One With the Night Sky. Small moments of keys and synth sprinkle stardust over this song and I really appreciate the effect heavy change in vocals to a cleaner, ghostly echo half way through. Growled vocals join those cleans adding more layering and depth in a passage that really allows you to settle and become one with the song. These moments also work wonderfully of course as a precursor to the punchier, more aggressive side of Lightlorn too.

At One with the Night Sky continues with Of Longing Spirit and Infinite Solitude. The clean ringing notes at the beginning offer a really ethereal feel. Tapping drums join the mix in a really relaxing, really absorbing start that then suddenly turns direction and explodes into life. The vocals are rough and empassioned while the riffs blaze out, keeping the same starting melody but just turned up to 11. The track regularly switches between both styles, keeping it fresh and exciting throughout. A melodic slow down adds plenty of blackgaze to the mix and settles everything down nicely after a massively energetic first half. Gentle melody and piano tones combine to lull you in before the guitars come back in with a bang, again, keeping you on your toes and fully involved all the way through to the close.

Spiral Arms Like Swirling Rivers is our penultimate track and is the shortest on At One With the night Sky at just under 6 minutes long. Lightlorn still make good use of every second of that and deliver a punchy track with all the expected components. Heavy vocals and powerful riffs work off of the foundation layers of bass and insane drumming. These moments are then covered off by changes into more expansive, sometimes soothing melodic sections. A wicked solo leads the charge for a big instrumental section that I adore before the heaviness comes back at full force leading us through to a melancholic piano outro.

So we reach the conclusion of this mammoth album with Earthbound. While I am still loving everything about this record, I must admit to the intro here having a touch of familiarity, a bit of blending as the tones sound a little like “haven’t I heard this already”. It doesn’t last long before I am fully invested again though in another huge and impressive track that showcases a whole array of talent and song writing mastery. The drums are just amazing, here and throughout the album, but I do love the loud, at the front lead guitars here as well. The floaty slow down is gorgeous, allowing you to catch your breath before one last verse of power and intensity ripples through us closing out a remarkable release.

At One With the Night Sky is a truly impressive piece of art and showcases Lightlorn as masters of their craft. The way these songs are structured, the synchronicity across the whole record, shows a level of song writing and musicianship that many can only ever aspire to. It is fully engulfing, a captivating journey that will see you transported into another world and, while there are moments where there is a feeling of repetition, they are fleeting and for the most part you just lose track of time. This album is a fine example of how to create atmosphere and engage a listener, make them feel and come on the journey with the artist.

Don’t miss out on this, grab your copy from Bandcamp by following the link.

Lightlorn Links

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