This is the debut album from German doom band Lightless.
A Foreseen Loss is a crushing 80-minute slab of blackened doom. Lightless play a gargantuan brand of doom mixed with serrated black metal and dark murderous sludge, (along with touches of post-metal and drone). Let me tell you, it doesn’t just hit the spot, but obliterates it.
The massive songs explore heaviness and atmosphere across their durations. Slow brutality, harsh extremity, and much between are all there for the taking, inviting the listener to spend time with these colossal soundscapes. Yes, it’s a long album, but these four sprawling tracks are worth the time investment.
There is a lot of worldbuilding happening across the songs, with Lightless revealing themselves as extremely skilled in the doomsmithing department. There are build and release mechanics, textured dynamics, and granite-hard riffs. A range of moods and sounds are used on the album, from the soft and introspective, to the absolutely bleak and despairing. Lightless are appropriately named, yet they still shade their music with nuance and detailing in places. At other times though, they simply unleash a tsunami of glacial doom that washes everything away. I’ll also note that there are strings used on the record too, vey effectively I might add.
The songs are well-crafted, taking the listener on a journey into Lightless’ remarkably well-realised world. The music has clearly been thought about, and I love how many different sounds and feelings that Lightless manage to fit into the songs. When used, melody is highly impactful. As just one example, there’s a section that starts a little over halfway though Alternating Preeminence that’s so evocative it hurts – and it just keeps getting better and better until the end. A Foreseen Loss is an album to lose yourself in.
All of the above is ultimately focused on producing a coherent, holistic, expressive darkness that’s immersive and engrossing. Not to mention highly enjoyable, of course, if you have a taste for these sort of long-form doomscapes.
A Foreseen Loss is really good. Like, reaaallllly good. The album is seriously one of the best records I’ve heard this year so far. This sort of thing is exactly why I spend time diving into the metal underground – there are so many gems to find, if you put in the work doing some exploration. Hopefully Lightless won’t be unknown for too long, as I could easily imagine A Foresee Loss being released by a few different labels I can think of.
If you’re a fan of bands such as Body Void, Cult of Occult, Mizmor, Old Witch, Primitive Man, or Usnea, then this is one that’s definitely for you.
Essential. Do not miss!
Wonderbox Metal 