Review by Ben for Negative Plane - The Pact... (2022)

My first couple of listens to The Pact... were bewildering to say the least. It's unanimously considered a black metal album on RYM, and yet it certainly doesn't feel like one. I get loads of heavy metal vibes from it, regardless of what's technically going on. I think I spent the majority of my concentration during those first listens trying to figure out what I was listening to, instead of actually trying to enjoy what was on offer. A few listens later and I'm still not sure I've completely come to grips with it, but I feel ready to state that I don't really like it.

The album is certainly ambitious, with lengthy tracks filled to the brim with multitudes of riffs, and a storytelling element that isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I feel like I might be doing the album an injustice by not reading the lyrics and trying to figure out what the inspiration is, but I'm just not enjoying things enough to care. The musicianship on display is generally impressive, but it has to be said that the vocalist (who goes by the moniker Nameless Void) is going to be an obstacle to many listener's enjoyment, mine included. He has a very one dimensional approach, and given he can be heard the vast majority of the album's running time, that becomes a problem real quick!

The Pact... is one of those albums where there are a stack of differing sections to every track, but for me there are always one or two of them that have me gritting my teeth in discomfort. One minute I'm into it and starting to understand why the album is receiving high praise, while the next I'm getting ready to press the skip button and wondering what all the fuss is about. Despite these struggles, I do think metal fans should at least hear what Negative Plane have created. For everyone that doesn't get into it, there will be another that has it in their best of list at the end of the year. I'm genuinely interested to see what other Academy attendees think of it.