This is the second album by Ukrainian doom band Nonsun.
Blood & Spirit is the follow up to 2016’s colossal Black Snow Desert. On their new record Nonsun have crafted an absorbing 55-minute collection of music, enticing the listener with a soundscape of doom, drone, sludge, post-metal, and dark ambient combined.
The lengthy, minimalist drone approach and cinematic flow of their debut album have been largely substituted for a richer, more immediate feel. Relatively speaking of course; this is still doom with songs that are much longer than those of your average band. The drone aspect of the Nonsun’s style has been retained in places, just reined in and augmented by a direct heaviness that’s a new addition to the band’s arsenal.
Blood & Spirit is more refined than its predecessor and it is clear that Nonsun have developed well in the years since Black Snow Desert. The music is mostly instrumental, but not completely. Various vocalisations enrich the music in places, adding another layer to the band’s multifaceted sound. The end result of the above is a wordless atmospheric journey into Nonsun’s dark and immersive world.
Blood & Spirit has built on Nonsun’s already impressive beginnings to create an album that demonstrates their mastery of mood and shading in no uncertain terms.
Very highly recommended for any fan of textured music you can lose yourself in.
Wonderbox Metal 