The very idea of the one-man band is something that has become truly integral in the world of black metal since the dawn of the digital era with plenty accomplishing it for years prior, but it’s now with so many that it can often feel like a long time before you’re able to find one that manages to surpass any and all expectations that one might have for just one person. Yet, it’s with such a concept that we’re able to with artistic integrity to its fullest extent as we’re often presented with an untainted version of the artist’s vision with that being the main purpose of many single-person bands. Light Dweller is no exception, but it easily has to be with its fourth full-length album that many should look upon this creation and realize this name is a clear cut above the rest.
While it’s always well and good to say that an artist has brought forth an effort that is solely theirs without any sort of direct change or influence from another musician, it’s hard to come across a work and feel as though that has led to the creation of something distinct and powerful in a way that doesn’t feel like a cheap copy-paste reverence of another band. With all that very much a part in the consciousness of the excavating metalhead, it makes the discovery of bands like Light Dweller all the more interesting. It wouldn’t even take a minute of what’s to be had within “Lucid Offering” for one to quickly come to terms with the simple fact that this is not a straightforward creation that one might find typical coming from a one-man band. Rather, it’s every possible inch of this creation that Light Dweller makes it supremely clear that this is not a band that wants to keep things conventional, easy, or accessible by any means whatsoever as it’s for the absolute entirety of these seven tracks that we’re given a menagerie of power, density, and creativity the likes of which makes it bewildering to see come from the mind of a single person. Immediately, it all allows Light Dweller to ascend to the ranks of some of the more interesting and compelling forces that ar to be found throughout the underground as it’s never long before we hear from them, and it’s with “Lucid Offering” that this name is certainly living up to that standard.
Whether it comes in terms of ferocity, melody, or outright tenacity to bring something of this breed to life in exquisite detail, there is nothing but glory overflowing from this album that is sure to become a standout performance in the growing discography of Light Dweller. Many wish they could come even close to the macabre majesty of what “Lucid Offering” has to offer, but it’s from the mind of just one man that the odds are being defied in such fashion that cannot be seen as anything less than bewildering.
“Lucid Offering” releases on June 21st!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “Lucid Offering” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Light Dweller on Facebook here.
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