Porcelain eyes stained black

Clad In Darkness
Amidst Her Shadows
(self-released, 2006)

My buddies Ed and Robin are pals with the guys in this local act. They'd been trying to get me to see the band for a while, but I finally saw them perform on Wednesday night at Nite Cap. I'd already heard this demo and knew what to expect, but they were still impressive. On their MySpace page, Clad In Darkness' influences field begins "Agalloch, Opeth, Enslaved, Dissection, Emperor, Anathema, Ulver..." You know, a bunch of house favorites. The only way I could not like their music is if they were slouches, which they assuredly are not. They've gotten a new drummer since the demo was recorded, and he's got serious black metal chops as well as superb restrained skill for the bountiful, occasionally jazzy mellow passages.

The songs on Amidst Her Shadows, the band's second demo release, vary between the repetitive, high-speed melodic drone of good black metal and the sort of drearily lovely mellow soundscapes frequently employed by Opeth. Three of the tracks top six minutes, and even the shorter "Anamnesis" makes room for an evocative midpoint chill-down. My favorite is naturally the longest, "Revelries and Silence." This eight-minute journey begins with a subdued, bluesy solo by guitarist Casey Benter, while his axemate Coy Scottberg later lets off some soloing of his own, his mournful, high-pitched tone reeking of Agallochian vapors. Vocalist Casey Hogan sounds pretty controlled on the recording, but live he does an admirably bloodcurdling shriek that really intensifies the chaotic sections. These dudes are solid, and anyone into intelligent, melodic and bleak metal should investigate soon. I'm not sure if a disc is available, but you can download the tracks as high quality mp3s at their web site.

Enjoy the love songs in the mp3 player today, because there will be a new playlist tomorrow. Something much, much colder.