Release Date: 8th April 2022
Label: Halcyon Recordings
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Tracklist:
1. Pouring
2. Demise
3. Burden
4. Bleak Future
5. Death Take Me
6. The Final Sorrow

Line-up:
Kevin Narowski – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Lyrics and Arrangements
Chris Bryan – Drums (tracks 3 & 6)

Review by Felin Frost

Rate: 9/10

Hailing from New England, the Atmospheric black metal one-man-band This White Mountain on 8th April released the fourth full-length, The Final Sorrow. Active since 2008 the mastermind behind this project is the multi-instrumentalist and composer Kevin Narowski. Having started his journey in death metal bands like Formless, Lucifer Goatchrist Fuck, Maniacal Violator, just to name a few, Kevin also handle other metal projects like Death Creation, Gore Grave which are death metal oriented, plus, the Geflimmernacht (DSBM) and Schillerndtag, a post-black metal project. In 13 years Kevin under his atmospheric black metal project This White Mountain, released three EPs, three albums and in between them, singles and splits.

The Final Sorrow was written and recorded between September 2021 and January 2022. The six-track album offers nearly fifty minutes of atmospheric and progressive black metal that explores elements of thrash and death. Here, we have a beautiful album. It’s enveloping, and the cold atmosphere is filled with quality riffs, clean drums and thundering vocals. The tracks develop with a balanced continuity with a good measure of loud sonic and instrumental leaps and deep chasms. A good insight was the insertion of interludes here and there.

As dark and almost scary as the opening “Pouring” is, it gives me that sense of peace that the falling rain and clean chords provide me. In a blast of rage as fast as the speed of light, begin “Demise”, well here I really know that this album will fulfil my expectations already. The dissonance explored is not dull, as in bands that use this trick, and I have “tried” listening. Kevin Narowski knows very well what he does. Despite the style of his project being rooted in atmospheric black metal, the use of this dissonance in a masterful way only brings pleasure and not disgust. A pleasing feature that I’ve already mentioned before is that you won’t really notice the change from one track to the other. The music is continuous. Despite presenting different sonic and stylistic aspects throughout the tracks, the music has continuity, and you don’t even notice when one ends. This feature is not always well executed by some bands. They end up falling into repetition. With This White Mountain, this doesn’t happen. The cohesion and variety are very surprising.

Until the third track, “Burden”, the song evokes a raw, blackened atmosphere filled with sinister moments. If there is any “cut” in the interconnected tracks, I speak here of seconds between “Burden” and “Bleak Future”, but really I could not count on this observation. Starting with “Bleak Future”, the moments of dissonance give way to a delighting dulcet atmosphere that causes such a delicious and evocative melancholy. The guitar riffs are so sensitive and distressed! There’s a very subtle shift to a blackened death/thrash, and the vocals that don’t change the pitch are what make this incredible connection throughout the album.

The second part of the album that starts here and ends with the beautiful “The Final Sorrow” is my favourite. I know I’m passionate and sensitive but also a merciless beast. Do you like dark, raw, sinister, fast and dramatic atmosphere permeated with powerful melodies? If so, The Final Sorrow is for you. Highly Recommended!

Digital Album available here: https://thiswhitemountain.bandcamp.com/album/the-final-sorrow

Follow This White Mountain:
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