It would be an understatement to say that the weight of the world has long been getting heavier on our shoulders as time marches forward unapologetically. The cruel momentum of time lets up for no person no matter how strong of a will they might possess, and there are plenty of times where it feels as though humankind is simply spiraling towards an oblivion that’s brought about simply by its own actions that it refuses to acknowledge as a whole. It’s quite depressing and overwhelming to fathom, yet that’s how the world can make one feel. How could metal ever hope to tap into such existential dread to the deepest level? That’s something that black and doom metal have individually tackled for quite a long time with plenty of success, but to witness the two styles brought together for a single devastating release that holds nothing back and offers no sort of salvation is an exquisite torture we don’t see given nearly enough justice. Having caused some waves with their intensely promising debut, it’s now that Lightless comes forward to deliver the bleak experience that many of us have been waiting for from the underground.

The destruction of nature is something that we sadly still grapple to accept as a species. The natural world has suffered immeasurably by the hands of mankind, and it’s often enough that we see metal tackle such harrowing themes to offer no sense of reprieve or hope for what else is to come should we not change our ways and do it viciously fast. Metal has been a magnificent vessel to deliver intense material befitting such grim themes with there no sign of bands pulling back. It was with their debut work of “Descent to Insignificance” that Lightless began to tap into those themes with an approach of black-doom that was as suffocating and claustrophobic as it was compelling to become hopelessly lost within. Darkness unbound that was the pinnacle of carnivorous with the raw power to match, Lightless made one hell of an impression. But to do justice to the harrowing themes of our modern world in its current state is to take a huge leap forward that only the finest and most calculated of bands are able to pull off with what would only be their second offering. I had confidence in Lightless, and after over two years of waiting it’s with four tracks over the course of over a staggering eighty minutes, “A Foreseen Loss” is the testament of raw sorrow and evocative darkness that this corner of the underground has long been in need of.

It would a vicious understatement to say that “A Foreseen Loss” is grueling in the best way possible. From the mere length of each of these tracks, it should be obvious to any and all who come before this new form of Lightless that this act is not messing around nor pulling any punches. Constantly seeking to open your eyes to the horrors that have been wrought as the simultaneous destruction of the world and our species hurls ever closer, every given minute of this record is exquisite in how it elicits the feeling of the walls closing in on you with no escape in sight and the hope of freedom upon your soul shrinking by the moment. It’s a punishing listen that pulls you deeper and deeper into an abyss of your own making. “A Foreseen Loss” laments in the simplicity that this is a tragedy that could have been prevented; an age death that could’ve easily been boundless life. This is black-doom metal as it should be: cold, uncaring in the face of such despairing times, and uncompromising in its intensity. “A Foreseen Loss” is a force not to be trifled with.

More than capable of bouts of speed before giving out to expose a deep abyss with its drawn-out notes, dirges of rhythm that add to the sheer power at play throughout the work, and unfathomable darkness that is nigh on inescapable, Lightless has crafted a true masterwork of sorrow and lamentation for a world that could have been but one that will almost certainly never exist. Every drop of this record is coated in dramatic emotion with the pacing, intensity, and soul to match such a creation. Lightless dug deep to bring this record into existence, and it shows at each turn. A monolith of bleak reality whose shadow is deep and haunting, “A Foreseen Loss” is the experience black-doom metal has been sorely needing with the soul of the record itself something that we can become lost in for then maybe the pain of our reality can feel ever so slightly distant.

“A Foreseen Loss” releases on April 30th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “A Foreseen Loss” on Bandcamp here.

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