Out of all the things that are possible throughout the vast underground that metal music has to offer, there still continues to be no shortage of surprises. Sometimes, you simply need to be in the right place at the right time in order to come before something you never could have expected. Other times, it’s brought before you with all the flair and shock value that would come from such an event. It was twelve years ago that the revered Dis Pater of Midnight Odyssey brought to a close two of its other acts, Tempestuous Fall and The Crevices Below, but it’s now that the former has been resurrected, a complete shock to many such as me yet tremendously welcome.

Having attained loads of experience through talented excursions throughout the many works of Midnight Odyssey, it would be a gross understatement to say that Dis Pater has come far since the first ending of Tempestuous Fall in 2013 after a three-way split with its other faces. The sheer prospect of the resurrection of Tempestuous Fall is enough to make the mind race in wondering what’s possible, and it’s through a deep understanding of its own style as well as an impeccable sense of death-doom that the return effort of “The Descent of Mortals Past” is as captivating in its soul as it is compelling in its execution from beginning to end. This isn’t just a continuation of where Tempestuous Fall left off with its debut album thirteen years ago, but a return to what death-doom was decades ago with all the maturity and precision that we’ve come to expect from Dis Pater with the results no less than sensational throughout these six utterly gorgeous tracks. Diving into ancient mythological tales of descending into the Underworld itself, “The Descent of Mortals Past” is a very literal title as Tempestuous Fall leads us down into the cavernous deeps of the dead with a romantic air about the end of life, the beauty that’s to be had in the ceasing of all things, and the majesty of a natural cycle coming to a close. Through tremendous melodies and awe-inspiring instrumentation and haunting vocals that are striking in their dynamics, this record treads the lines between light and darkness, life and death, horror and beauty, and love and loss masterfully to make this return one that demands to become lost within.

For everything that Tempestuous Fall brings to the table throughout its debut, it demands to be made exceedingly clear that this is not a record you should miss out on. Simply calling this effort a comeback album or something that taps into an old school vein of death-doom does not do the creation nearly enough justice. Tempestuous Fall accomplishes much on its own merits and experience to make “The Descent of Mortals Past” not just a new record packed with flavorful, but a stunning creation that should be studied, hailed, and revered for all that it is.

“The Descent of Mortals Past” releases on November 14th via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Descent of Mortals Past” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

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