Channeling the ancient mythemes of their far-distant homeland in an effort to collapse the wheel that’d perpetuate the cyclic suffering of eternally embedded conflict Valeria del Mar, Argentina-based atmospheric black metal solo act DOWNFALL OF NUR returns with an ambitious, emotionally driven sophomore full-length album over ten years beyond their first. A hefty double LP appearing a lifetime beyond its predecessor should naturally be distantly evolved yet the thousand-layered cinematic melancholia which drives ‘And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth‘ should prove familiar enough in effect to pull similar ear. The endurance of their patient hand in dramatic reveal is the major accomplishment of this work as the post-metal inflicted scaling deployed is resigned to three main chapters each of which appear in grandiose progression. As their muse extends its experiential conglomeration beyond tropes in service of theme the damage felt between organism and environs are more capably whirled into one great fractured evocation of psychic pain, bewilderment and ardor.

Downfall of Nur comes from the hands and mind of musician Antonio Sanna (Ysyry Mollvün) who’d manifested the project back in 2013 as a ritualistic depressive black metal entity introduced via their noisome, shambling first demo (‘Jhanas-Nur‘, 2013). Ancestry, naturalism, and ancient civilizations made quite a lot of sense for a fellowe based in Argentina but in fact Sanna is originally from Sardinia and the concept and subject of the project centered on invocations of the Bronze age Nuragic civilization originating on said island, a muse which continues today. The sonic aesthetics of ritualistic yet sombre black metal nox quickly gave way to an earthen and melodramatic form of atmospheric black metal as their first EP (‘Umbras e Forestas‘, 2014) yielded a folken, but not yet folk metal, reaction. These are primitive artifacts compared to each of the band’s full-length releases but it might be worthwhile for some listeners to engage with the unsteady bones of their development before their ragged percussive sense gave way to post-metal, European folk and atmoblack trope enriched movement.

No doubt any/all of your atmospheric black metal und melodrama seeking pals online’d included Downfall of Nur‘s debut album, ‘Umbras de Barbagia‘, on their Best of the Year lists back in 2015 as it’d been hard to miss in my own circles per a memorable enough album cover and an ambitious sound. The longform forestwalking marches and clangorous rituals of said album were undoubtedly a changed force of nature beyond the band’s original conception as folken melodies, non-traditional instrumentation and such fed the still underground strangeness of their work. I was always more impressed by the ambition of their work on that album than the execution (drums were the main issue, vocals were just ok) though I recognize it was set at the tail end of a certain era of post-black metal’s exploratory independence just as well. Though I’m not sure that first album translates any of its aesthetic or stylistic machinery directly into ‘And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth‘ it does create lofty expectations for the ~80 minute double LP ahead.

A narrative concept album give to ~three (unordered) main acts ‘And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth‘ speaks to transcendence away from the cycle of opposition, shared enmity and toward merger with the spirit of the Earth, a psychic journey to the womb of creation which is rooted in Downfall of Nur‘s interest in Sardinian ancient culture, symbolism and history. The events of this album generally translate to me in line with the core goals of Buddhist thought, an earned escape from the oblivion of life and death through transcendental realization (knowledge, even) if I might deeply truncate the meaning of each ancient voice. In this case the connection between the land (Sardinia) and the native individual are viewed as eternal and this makes great sense with the author being nearly seven thousand miles from home and yet fostering this relation through seemingly sincere, thoughtfully introspective art. There is likely far more depth to glean from closer inspection of the lyrics and symbolism within the final product but at a glance these themes are not simply window dressing for atmoblack dirges but ideas/events invoked within each.

Rather than produce another folken post-black metal record Downfall of Nur have opted for what I’d consider an orchestral atmospheric black metal experience with heavy inspiration taken from the cinematic arcing of longer form post-metal acts. That isn’t to say that this is a Year of No Light record with hissing vocals so much as a hymnal, mournful stretch of highly dramatic work which rarely drops a single layer of its communal hum in action. From the beginning of the work, or, as “Beyond the Transcendent Darkness” the sheer level of detail packed into even the glittering rumble of the intro suggests some level of attention (or education, or just AI these days) paid to orchestration has fundamentally changed the artist’s approach to composition and yet without losing the underground grime of early Bandcamp-era pseudo-black metal swatting as the kicking tromp of their work picks up mid-song.

Over on Side B the second main piece “Underground Halls of the Oldest Goddess’ Stronghold” their efforts turn to something decidedly guitar driven where the rattling of atmoblack blasting appears more as a hammer to start as the endurance of the piece rolls between cascading wavelike impact and ethereally swatted ebb in fixated muse. From my point of view this is the most average concoct on the full listen but a necessarily rooting work within it, a step beyond the the hymnal exploration that’d brought us to a subterranean point of venture. None of this came into focus for me within passive listening ’til the title track (“And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of this Earth“) brought the album into clearer focus with what is essentially a protracted melodic black metal piece voiced through similar lead guitars as those found on “Beyond the Transcendent Darkness” before their conclusion is granted a great chasmic rift beyond the ~7:26 minute mark.

Enveloping each of those three main movements of ‘And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth‘ are ambient, orchestral and generally well-placed instrumental pieces which amount to ~34 minutes of the album’s durance. Though the ~4-5 minute interludes set between key album tracks are entirely relevant and section the album into vital chapters, enhancing the dramatic voice of their work, the ~21 minute “Deliverance” wasn’t something I’d made time for beyond the first couple of full listens. Not only does it detract from the rousing, golden-grey finality of the title track as a closer but it is a drone I couldn’t hang as an endpoint per the anxious tension it’d communicated. Not a great fault for the experience but it does read as Side D filler.

The major appeal of Downfall of Nur‘s return is a combination of reasonably ambitious work beyond the usual tropes of atmospheric/post-black metal and how well that capability evokes the intended theme and narrative of the work. The effect is fittingly cinematic in its reach when called for but generally sits as intimate within the bounds of each of the extended guitar-driven pieces included. ‘And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth‘ is an impressive feat, a strong evolution of the project’s original conception which is worthy of a listen even if fifteen minute stretches of morose post-black and surreal post-metal aren’t your typical interest on paper. It isn’t an album I’ll likely return to anytime soon but the ambitious conveyance of the work yet operates at an admirable, above-average standard worth experiencing with some manner of attentive reverence. A moderately high recommendation.

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