- https://ordovicianrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pestifere-there-was-never-light
- Release Date: 03/21/2025
- Minneapolis, 3 Piece (Vox/Guitar, Bass, Drums)
- Bandcamp self tags: metal, black metal, death metal, folk, melodic, blackened death metal, melodic death, metal, technical metal, thrash, Minneapolis
- Ordovician Records – Minneapolis – https://ordovicianrecords.bandcamp.com/ / https://www.instagram.com/ordovicianrecords
By ÆRæder
After purchasing and listening to this album over 21 times, here is my take:
Sound/Mix
I got the idea that this album is mastered to sound reminiscent of old school black metal, but mixed to differentiate, balance, and layer in the instruments and tracks in a way that you can still hear everything. Compared to other things I’ve listened to recently, it required higher volume on the systems and speakers to get the same level of feel, and still there was a lack of low end boom in drums and bass. With the attention to detail given to getting so many different sounds to come together smoothly, it is an album that is very easy to listen to and get into. (I love black metal, but sometimes find they can be difficult to listen to for extended periods due to the whole low-fi thing).
Performance
Pestifere is a project by Sunless vocalist/guitarist Lucas Scott, and is joined by Sunless drummer Taylor Hamel for this album. That being said, I can hear the Sunless coming across in vocals, tones, and in the tight connections between guitar parts and drum beats. Also at times they incorporate some change-ups in time signature that give some familiar flourishes. However, this is a black metal album, through and through, and is able to stand strong in its own right.
The above noted bandcamp tags are interesting to note while listening. While there is no shortage of icy, crunchy, tremolo picking, and dissonant chords, there are plenty of intricate and well placed thrash and death phrases across the entire album. Yes, these are all black metal songs that have memorable, head bangy riffs. In addition, there are a couple acoustic spotlights that fit very well within their respective tunes. Plenty going on within each song and they are all distinct, each adding a different flavor to the album as a whole. Per Bandcamp, this album was written in 2016, and recorded between 2018 and 2023. For all that time and space, the album is tight, and feels like one cohesive unit.
Highlights
Even in the first couple listens I could identify and pick out the uniqueness of each song. I find this isn’t always the case at first with a lot of true black metal. That immediately set this album apart for me. As you listen more, the flow of the section with each song really starts to come together. Fade at Dawn begins with heavy, crackling thunder and driving fade in, and then drives on with a hooky main guitar piece, intense blast beats, coupled with some off beat takes on the main riff(s) to keep it interesting. A Red Dark as Night and Lamentations are probably the most ferocious tunes, both characterized by driving, desperate waves of intensity.
The crescendo of the album is the fourth track, Between the River and the Wood. The acoustic bridge and end are captivating. They fit well within the other heavy portions of the song. I am not afraid to say that two of my favorite guitar players are Tony Rice and Norman Blake, and it is so cool to hear a similar style incorporated so well into metal. Frigid, Nordic, blackened blues and Americana; Headwaters of the Mississippi nestled under dark cold evergreens. This tune holds the album together, and really makes it sound like it came from Minnesota. In the back half of the album, Death and Sleep has the most to offer as far as an all-in-one portrait of Pestifere. Acoustic and clean guitar flourishes, searing lead licks, driving blastbeats, and also some slow, heavy, and doomy beat down aspects that bring some emotion and feeling.
Shade
I mentioned some of the lack of depth and bass above, and that would probably be my biggest gripe. Most black metal albums you can expect that, though. Even some that have a heavier sound do not have the quality and cohesiveness in their tunes.
Summary
This is an album you should for sure give a fair chance. It has enough layers and dimensions that even if black metal is not your thing, you should be able to get something out of this recording. It may even get you turned on to what the potential of the genre may be. If you are already into it, I’d say this is a pretty stellar example of modern American black metal, and you will not be let down by the quality of song writing, performance, and fresh energy There Was Never Light brings to the table.