Entranced by their own erosion and positing destruction as a chance for renewal the lapping waves of time against stone fixate Victoria, British Colombia-based black metal trio LIMINAL SHROUD as the forces of nature are embodied within their work, pressing on as devourers of the coastline wave-after-wave on this accomplished third full-length album. ‘Visions of Collapse‘ celebrates the futility of the organism in the wake of these forces’ persistence, accepting the nihil in mind while providing catharsis within this ruminant work. To suit this mood of dimming light and dire acceptance they’ve provided a moderne yet elaborately realized “post-black” experience, a blustering and howling ride tempered by sharp taste and ambitious folken yet progressive-lite songcraft which reads grand at its peaking intensity and nigh miserable at its lowest.

Liminal Shroud formed circa 2018 quick to record a preliminary demo in tentative outline of their core phenom, a form of black metal where the instruments must share a relationship beyond formality, intertwined and conversational as they are melodramatic. Of course this means this band has riffs, though not always in a traditional sense. Rather their work has escalated as a showcase of one of few bands presenting the extended wake of post-Cascadian black metal ingenuity and cinema, harnessing this realm of incomplete post-blackened thoughts and making whole statements rather than crescendo’ed-to-hell dalliance of it. Their work is often long-form, storm-like in its call upon rhythm, and yet intimately stated when developing its listener directed points of cadence. From early Krallice to ‘Two Hunters‘-era Wolves in the Throne Room and even a hint of Yellow Eyes you’ll find some contemporary in the increasingly expressive, fastidious work of this band but this is just a general launching point for a dramatic tone and temperament.

Each release from the band has showcased a spire of progress made toward containment of many difficult to harness elemental forms, in my review of their second album (‘All Virtues Ablaze‘, 2022) I’d detailed the knack of each formative release extensively enough though I’d emphasize my takeaway from that particular album: A high professional standard, much improved drum performances, and appreciably fine layering of guitar compositions that’d all helped that album reach a point of high praise on my end. While this’d build grand expectations for what ‘Visions of Collapse‘ would be, my instinctive response to sepia-toned cover art (via Misanthropic Art) and song titles which further suggest past lyrical themes was that this would be both a refinement and carrier for a lower-glowing mood. This turns out to be spot on as a first impression but not the complete shape of the experience as we find the band focusing on a more elaborately contiguous step from song to song as well as more patience in developing the balance of dark and light in their sound. This time around you won’t find me suggesting one song topples the rest, as was the case with the previous album, but rather everything lives and dies in the same malaise-stricken realm.

Drawing down the mood… — If ‘All Virtues Ablaze‘ would let it all burn and had its own strong performative streak touted as a point of great conviction then let ‘Visions of Collapse‘ be more of a conversation, a rant, and an embodiment of a vision built once again from the battlement of where the land meets the sea… and finds itself slowly, incurably defeated. A lite allegorical representation of the human spirit and its ongoing defeat as part of the greater natural order of things, this sensation of ensured destruction and demoralized existence is well-built both lyrically and in the tonal reaches of this album. We do not start jumping off the cliff into a full-bore swim so to speak but rather panning from the wash of the waves toward the burning populace behind as “Nocturnal Phosphorescence” expertly sweeps in and pulls the ear into its narrative escalation. Rather than strike into quick indulgence on the 9+ minute opener we find the band conveying the mood of the album up front within a slow-burning yet smartly eventful song directed beautifully by the rhythm guitar’s focal point alongside a range of vocal timbre which walks us through the majesty of the night and its putrid color glow. Per my own experience this was definitely a challenge to the expectation of pomp and bluster, a chance to strike at the iron instead taken to develop voice at the outset. I suppose if you are “in” from the first song then this is the perfect way to warm the engines as the rest of the album carries on from this opening thread.

If you haven’t already cranked the volume on this album make sure you do for the sake of the lustrous depth that takes ahold within its faster more intensely detailed pieces such as the rushing movements found on key standout “Nucleonic Blight“, where we’re given the full force of the band in reprisal of the rumbling wash of ‘All Virtues Ablaze‘ though here we can note the depth of the production values reaching a thunderous level (engineering via Matt Roach + Emily Ryan and mastering from the maestro Greg Chandler) which is perfectly balmy yet precise enough to suit a guitar intensive piece such as this. While it’ll be easy to get lost in the rush of the song’s momentum it is worth taking note of the level of guitar work here which is not phoned-in and typified modern black metal fare, often reaching just to the edge of technical or at least complexly lain statement. At this point you’re already two ten minute songs into a block of three in a row and in my case I’d definitely hit pause, even on the first listen, and fought against the waves of Liminal Shroud‘s momentum for the sake of appreciating how the voice of just those two pieces shows a maturing level of patience in reveal and in craft of entertaining dynamic, songs which do more than ebb and flow but build elaborate pattern into a sensorial experience.

“Resolve” presents us with with a lighter third chapter and the arrival of arguably the more ambitious reaches of Liminal Shroud‘s register as their use of glorious folken hooks and slow-slung melody incorporates clean vocals which initially opt away from choirs, presenting a very subtle harmonizing layer in an almost meekly presented first blip. This moment of course draws immediate attention while slyly developing the central motif of the song through its lilting melody. Upon first listen I wasn’t sure if this was underbaked from a performative aspect though it is realistic in terms of what would be achieved in a live setting. As I’d spent more time with the album it’d only granted more character to the full listen, combining with the reprise of “Malaspina” to reinforce this addition to their sound. Though I’m not sure it is such a pronounced moment to break the immersion of the average listener into total disgust it might arrive unexpectedly for those who’d skipped over the two previous album from the band. I’d appreciated these concerted attempts to bring emphasis to the tuneful aspects of the band’s sound; By the time we’ve hit closer “The Carving Scythe” the magick of the band to finish a thought comes in clutch as they wrangle in the outsized portal summoned with a rush on the same level as “Nucleonic Blight” and my personal favorite piece on the album thanks to the trip taken from the racing pulse of the first half into its mid song cave-growled interludium amidst soaring tremolo’d riffs and the occasional shrieking interjection. It feels like a fittingly grand finale and from a band once again showing they are more than capable of leaving a thought rounded and complete in its up front read.

Though it often feels unintentionally condescending to suggest an artist’s work has matured I would say there is a wizened grip of songcraft running through ‘Visions of Collapse‘ which bears the mark of insight, minds which are intent on introspection and craftsmen who’ve tailored this experience to match the loft and gloom-stricken ideal envisioned. Both the vision and the execution of it reach a new height on this recording and once again achieve a work which may very well be considered a fully modern black metal record yet one which is created in good taste and bewildering result, conveying its themes brilliantly within the high standard applied to all that Liminal Shroud touch with their oaken hand. A high recommendation.

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