Philadelphia based one man band Lonesummer deal in black metal. Sorta. It's an interesting take on a genre which in recent years has become even more experimental, bands such as this adding layers of personality and tone to a style of music most people would likely associate with early 90's Norway. Thank the dark lord then for bands like Lonesummer. Not afraid to throw in a spoken word section here, or a smattering of noise there to drive the point home, Lonesummer is a band that feeds on the bleaker side of life in the most delicious of ways.
Album opener "I Hope You Miss Me, Because I Want You To Know How Much That Hurts" sets the tone immediately. Jangly guitars and a title that smacks of hurt and despair, quotes from the movie Stay (a film about a psychiatrist and a suicidal patient) and a healthy dose of distortion and reverb to drown the gently sung background melody. Past Lonesummer releases (this being the bands first full length) have featured a lot more in the way of sheer noise, this however is a much more rounded event. Ideas have taken form and the band seems entirely more sure of itself.
That's not to say that masses of wailing cacophony don't occur. Oh no. "Ghost Stories" is a lovingly raw, pure black metal noise-fest. Screams and howls are the order of the day here, yet underneath it all, the guitar has a decidedly post-rock vibe to it. Post-black metal perhaps, the beauty of the guitar clashing with the true force of the vocal. And then clashing again with next track "All My Bitterness Is Just Regret," one of many instrumental interludes on the record, showcasing the differing styles that can be found and bridging the gaps in between the many genres that can be found throughout.
Title track "There Are Few Tomorrows For Feeding Our Worries" is a gorgeous piece. All shimmering guitar and delicate passages of woe, a genuine sense of despondency overwhelms the senses. The closing thirty seconds introduces a beautifully crashing cymbal and the end comes suddenly, abrupt in nature as the sound reaches a crescendo. Just stunning and leading expertly into another of the more punishing sides of the record,"You're Ash To Me." "Clouded Eyes And Candlelights" shares more in common with the true black metal scene that any other track on this album. Intense in it's fury it's a two and half minute trip into the unknown. Terrifying in it's execution, the guitar is drenched in the tone of second wave black metal and the vocal is as harsh as harsh can be.
Closing this debut is "Despair Will Hold A Place In My Heart, A Bigger One That You Do," a much more quiet affair compared to the previous track. Another instrumental piece, it's weighty in feeling, that guitar holding what seems to be the weight of the world on it's metaphorical shoulders. Saturated in reverb, the minimal approach is little different to other sounds heard here, a more laid back expression of feeling yet never losing that sense of loss and woe. Magnificent.
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