Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Nordicwinter - Beneath the Fleeting Light (2022)

Atmospheric black metal, when done well enough, is increasingly my preferred bm sub-genre as I get older.  I have long been advocates of Drudkh and early BAN records but I would have never consciously sought out specific atmo-black artists or records until recent years.  One of my key finds in this process has been the work of Canadian one-man bm outfit, Yves Allaire (or Evillair, or even Nordicwinter if we want to stick with the artist name).  I have waxed lyrically about his work on MA previosuly in my review of last years Le dernier adieu release which was a triumph of despondency and hopelessness done with a trauma-soaked beauty.  Whereas last year, Yves released two albums, he has toned down the frequency of his output in 2022 and has managed to deliver the goods yet again with his sixth full length Beneath the Fleeting Light.

Now, I recently sat through one of the dullest atmo-black album I have ever heard.  Oathbearer's debut release was a horribly bloated affair with a meandering sense of direction that soon saw my attention waning within a few minutes.  By way of comparison, Beneath the Fleeting Light is textbook atmo-black methodology.  It is stocked full of rich and inviting atmospheres that work perfectly with the harsher vocal and instrumentation as opposed to just adding unnecessary changes of pace to create some sense of variety.  Everything works in tandem on this record.  Everything is placed in perfect unison, just as it was on his Sorrow release (also from 2021).  This plays to some degree like laid back black metal as it all just seems to flow so well together in this fathomless sea of despondency.

One thing that I hate on atmo-black releases is the tendency to overuse clean vocals, as if the atmospheres cannot hold their own with harsh, conventional bm vocals.  Nordicwinter have no issue with needing to make things cleaner on the vocal front to incorporate them with everything else.  There are no clean vocal passages here and the vocals do not even come across as being juxtaposed with anything else.  At just under thirty-nine minutes, Beneath the Fleeting Light balances a layered approach to the track structures without you felling like you need hours of repeat listens to unpick them.  The message is very clear from the off.  Here be the depths of despair, now simply sit back and listen.