Blissful Stream/Lightsabres – Devil’s Night to All Souls – Split (Review)

This is a split between two Swedish one man bands; the doom metal of Blissful Stream and the dark rock of Lightsabres.

Blissful Stream are up first, with the first new material from the project since 2016’s Ascending Demons.

There’s 9 minutes of ancient, lo-fi doom here. These three brief songs are old-school and authentic, seemingly channelling something of the early 90s Peaceville spirit, while also having their own charms.

Fallen from Grace has a Primordial feel to it, while Dead of Night has more of a horror style; an atavistic and 70s occult rock-influenced one. The latter favours more of a lo-fi atmospheric approach when compared to the blackened, upbeat nature of the split’s opening track. We end with A Vision from Below, which is similar in style to Fallen from Grace, while bringing in certain aspects of Dead of Night. It’s a winner.

The vocals are halfway between a scream and a shout, with the singer’s voice being quite charismatic. He delivers the goods quite nicely.

Although the recording is as primitive as the music in some ways, it’s certainly not a bad one, and works well with Blissful Stream’s style.

I’ve enjoyed catching up with Blissful Stream once more, and I’ve certainly liked what I’ve heard.

Now it’s Lightsabres’ turn. This is a band I’m unfamiliar with, but this nine and a half minutes serves as a good introduction it seems.

This is lo-fi rock with an old-school stoner punk edge. Stark and raw, these songs are surprisingly catchy affairs that sound like a darker version of some early 90s underground indie rock bands. The man behind Lightsabres has an ear for a good riff, and also has an infectious and unusual vocal delivery that’s quite addictive. His performance reminds me of some of Dax Riggs’ work.

All three songs are very enjoyable, but while Anyone is particularly memorable with its stalking riffs and heartfelt melodies, my favourite is the final song Darkness on My Trail, which is downbeat, gloomy, and very well-delivered.

This is an enjoyable split from two different and individual bands that somehow manage to complement each other quite well.

Highly recommended.