The vast ranges of doom metal are always packed with bands that are more than content to do the same thing over and over again out of love and reverence for the classic sound that has yet to lose its touch, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, a little bit of change after some time is a welcome thing. I wasn’t really expecting that going into the first full-length effort from Invernoir, but I came out of the album with a grand interest in everything that the band is capable of, and I simply cannot get enough!

It’s every so often that the universe really likes to throw a curveball at me, but, even then, it’s not at all what I might be expecting even if I can recognize early on that it’s a curveball. I knew well before going into “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” that this was a doom release, and it was the first few tracks that showed me clear as day that Invernoir had mastered their craft than what their minuscule discography might let on, but it was the entirety of this work that completely floored me in every song that was presented before me! This is a refined and downright masterful sound that makes my hands shake just thinking about with how massive it is in every imaginable way. Invernoir has made an album that any band would strive to make even once from the soul-gripping melodies, out of this world variety that keeps the whole record fresh and interesting even after several listens, well-timed punches and restraint that elevates this sound to something else, an intensity that is beyond any sort of singular flavors, the beauty of all sorts in every way, and the sky-high quality is done through nigh on perfect musicianship that is constantly bewildering. I can only throw so many adjectives at this album, and none of them compare to just listening to this work as a whole. “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” is more than capable of being considered one of the best doom releases that the underground will keep as a well-buried secret much like every record that is left to simply exist in the wild without much else to be said. In fact, I will not be shocked if after many more weeks and months of listening to what Invernoir has made here that it becomes one of my favorite records of the year by a fair margin.

I truly do believe that it’s with this record that Invernoir should be held up to grand names of the underground like Officium Triste and Clouds, just to name two, for what we see on this very first full-length is nothing short of utterly staggering! Every single inch of “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” is worth examining and savoring for hours on end, and it’s destined to become a work that any person who comes across it should consider themselves immensely fortunate.

LISTEN to “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” on Bandcamp here.

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