For much of its long run, metal has been a sound that has ever moved forward. Rarely does it linger in one place for long as that can often equate to stagnation with that being a trap that all too many have succumbed to. However, it’s every now and then that we receive a performance that knows how to bask in the moment. To catch the splendor and glory of even the briefest moment in time is something that requires real finesse and talent to accomplish, and it’s throughout its debut record that Duchna shows us how it’s done in magnificent fashion.

By all accounts, doom is a pitch-perfect backdrop for a band to pull things back, allow the mind to grind to a halt, and allow even the smallest of moments to feel bold and engaging in such a way that’s simply magnificent to behold. To be able to take a moment and appreciate all that’s around you is something that metal isn’t given the opportunity to pursue nearly often enough, but the dense underground is a place that’s full of surprises with innumerable moving parts that can produce anything in time. Duchna had a blank slate when it got to crafting its debut effort, “Shards of a Waking Sun”, and it’s throughout these nine tracks that we’re given a potent and powerful blend of doom and post metal that come together brilliantly to make for a sound that’s intense, evocative, and downright immersive for everything that it dares to bring to the table. In this work, even the smallest instances hold vast potential. Much like the stillness of that first break of dawn or when the universe itself seems to go quiet in the presence of some transformative sight, it’s throughout “Shards of a Waking Sun” that Duchna manages to offer us an experience that beautifully encapsulates what metal can still be in the right hands.

Far more than simple atmospheres and holding clear vision the whole time, it’s in this unseeming debut that Duchna immediately makes itself known as a name that’s to be watched very closely. “Shards of a Waking Sun” is a humble but nonetheless impactful creation from top to bottom with naught but splendor and glory to be had by the time the album comes to a satisfying close.

LISTEN to “Shards of a Waking Sun” on Bandcamp here.