Review by Saxy S for Décembre Noir - Your Sunset | My Sunrise (2023)

Décembre Noir are a German doom metal band that have been learning a lot form the Officium Triste/My Dying Bride school of melodic death doom songwriting. And with Your Sunset | My Sunrise, Décembre Noir are doing all they can to bring the melancholy to you. I personally believe that while the production of this album is sparkling, some of the records more "extreme" elements can fell a tad overwhelming. They never get to the point of becoming overbearing or fully modulating this album into technical death metal, but the percussion is far more engaged in the song themselves than one might expect. Songs like "Your Sunset | My Sunrise" and the closer "Trivial Heart" have some enormous grooves, but Décembre Noir balance them out with some of the gothic tones that would not seem out of place on Hour of the Nightingale. The vocals are strong and have a really nice timbre; stylistically they vocals may seem to be a bit weak and lacking in presence, but the dark atmosphere helps to sell the despair that comes across through the vocal delivery. I personally would have liked there to be more tracks like "Trivial Heart", where the melody is consistent and built upon during an entire songs length. At only six songs, Your Sunset | My Sunrise tells a really good story and is a really good compliment to those artists mentioned previously.

Best Songs: Against the Daylight, Your Sunset | My Sunrise, Trivial Heart