Invernoir - The Void And The Unbearable Loss (CD)

Review
VM Underground
27.08.2021

Hailing from Rome, Italy’s capital city, Invernoir is quite a young band that includes current and former members of e.g. Ars Onirica and Black Therapy. As a quintet, they independently released a three-track EP in 2018 (actually three tracks and an outro, to be honest), aptly titled Mourn – a title that surely points the musical direction where we have to define this band. After a few line-up changes, the band decided to enter the studio in order to record their debut full-length. Line-up for this recording session was: Valerio Lippera (bass guitars), main composer Alessandro Sforza (screams and grunts, lead and rhythm guitars, drum programming and additional percussion) and Lorenzo Carlini (guitars, clean voices and drum programming) [drum programming, for their former drummer left right before entering the studio, and a new one wasn’t recruited yet at that moment]. The trio recorded their debut album at the Blue Ocean Recording Studio (also in Rome), with Lorenzo taking care of the engineering duties.

Eight newly recorded tracks got gathered under the mighty moniker of The Void And The Unbearable Loss. Eventually, Invernoir signed to Armenia’s Funere (a label run by Jane Orpheus, the partner of Satanath Records’ Aleksey) and to BadMoodMan Music, a division of the Solitude Prod family. This partnership took care of a physical edition of 500 copies, being a jewel-case compact disc, which comes with an eight-page booklet. That one includes the lyrics -mainly in English, with Italian excerpts- and nice artwork by Adhiira Art. One word about the texts: they are partly written by Alessandro, and partly by Rome In Monochrome / Aurora Nowhere’s Valerio Granieri [the band’s new drummer, Flavio Castagnoli, is part of the Rome In Monochrome line-up too, FYI]. This guy, Valerio Granieri, also performs guest vocals on one track (The Burden).

So, The Void And The Unbearable Loss (great title, once again giving a clear hint to the aural approach) consists of eight average-lengthy pieces (in between five and seven minutes), having a total running time of about fifty-two minutes. They say their inspirations are based on the likes of Anathema, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, you know, and seen the album’s title, I think that might be quite appropriate. Well, the album opens with the title track, and this song leaves no doubt: this might be some tribute to the somewhat extremer Doom scene from the Nineties for sure. The first half of the track is constructed around an acoustic instrumental melody, with different layers, a Shoegaze / Post-Rock attitude when talking about the slow-paced and integer guitar-work, and dreamlike, even emotional synth-lines, including the sound of rain falling down on our physical shape (oops, I’m getting poetic). The second half shows the heavier side of Invernoir’s raison d’être: an intriguing and slowly performed guitar lead, supported by great drum-work (I almost can’t believe that this is drum programming, for it sounds so naturally (a)live), a monolithic rhythm-string section, and in addition some captivating leads (hypnotic stuff), dual guitar-work and mesmerizing synths. There are several layers, which are organically put together, and this makes the opening sequence of The Void And The Unbearable Loss a promising thing.

Will it continue this way, after that auspicious introduction? Well, not at all if you’re looking for something totally renewing. Why? Well, a definition like ‘originality’ does not fit in here. So, if you’re looking for a band that does reinvent the scene, you better stop reading.

But… What if the lack of originality is totally inferior to quality, persuasion and a satisfying listening experience? Well, that’s exactly what’s going on right here. Invernoir indeed lack of invention or progression, but damn, they do pay tribute to the (old styled) Doom-Death scene with conviction and craftmanship. The material comes with all necessary ingredients, going for instrumentation and vocals, tempo, concept and structure. I won’t go to deep into all of these matters, yet a brief description might be helpful.

Instrumentation: the known package: electric lead and rhythm guitars, with songs generally based on tremolo leads (once in a while purely hypnotic) especially, and firmly supported by well-balanced strings; acoustic and semi-acoustic chapters, as intro or intermezzo; drums and percussion with typifying patterns (as said: almost unbelievable that we aren’t talking about live-recorded drums); keyboards adding atmospheres of grief, wonder, introspection and intoxication; and even violin (performed by some Margherita Musto, in the track The Path).

Vocals: especially a balance of clean chanting, deep growling (sometimes pushing the whole into a funereal direction) and angry screams; also spoken words, whispers, you know, the expected, the needful, the basic elements that characterise this stuff.

Tempo: of course it’s slow. It’s very slow, but because of the guitar-oriented basement, it’s never dull or monotonous at all. There are several accurately performed changes withing the speed, but it remains between the extremes of ‘just slow’ and ‘very slow’. Yet still, one won’t miss the lack of faster outbursts, for the variety keeps this listening experience interesting the whole of the time.

This works well, of course, in combination with the diversification in the songs’ structures. Do not expect sudden breaks or progressive hooks, yet many smooth changes within the construction of each single epic. The equilibrium of different moods works surprisingly well, for the experience maintains a continuously thrilling excitement; no, it’s not ‘sensational’ as in ‘shudder’ or ‘ebullience’, yet rather causing shivering and rigorous sensations and emotions.

Concept: this goes smoothly hand in hand with the former aspects, of course. Pain and loss, nightly visions, desperation, it’s all naturally embedded within the dramatic ballads. The trio behind this album was able to create a well-known concept with predictable elements and themes, yet at the same time with giving it an own face, an own twist. The content of the lyrics are not renewing, yet the play-of-words is of a strong level for sure: effective, even laborious, and apposite.

As you might understand, and as sort of mentioned before, the lack of being original is of no importance, even otiose. Reason is this band’s ability to write and perform fine tunes that pay homage to the origins of the scene for sure. In combination with the very professional sound quality, the result might appeal to all fans of, let’s say, Swallow The Sun, Draconian, Katatonia, Officium Triste, Anathema, Woods Of Ypres, Doom:vs, Saturnus and the likes…

Author: Ivan “Concreteweb” Tibos

Review
Scream Blast Repeat
7/10
15.12.2020

Invernoir is a passion project conceived by the members of three Italian metal bands – Ars Onirica, Black Therapy and Lykaion. Their aim is to capture the best parts of My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Katatonia and Anathema and package them in 51 minutes of glorious death-doom despair. To be fair, they do a damn fine job of presenting the listener with the type of progressive doom metal that defined a special time in the history of Peaceville Records back in the 1990s. But this is far more than a homage to the forefathers and just as worthy of their blessing.

Mood and contemplation are everything in a melancholy doom album, and this record has it in abundance. Yes, the tempo saunters like a wounded horse falling into a marsh and the distorted guitars are heavier than a bottle of special brew, but the soundscapes are picturesque in their monumental reach and the atmospherics as solemn as a pallbearer. The opening title track is a seven-minute instrumental of slow chord sweeps and keyboard strings that build into a crescendo of ringing power distortion and funereal snare hits. It’s a brave start to an album but works in perfect harmony with ‘The Path’, a song that oozes with metallic crunch and a Gojira-esque outburst of righteous passion. Alessandro Sforz’s black metal histrionics writhe in agony like a fallen soldier removing his opponent’s scabbard from his intestines and pave the way for Lorenzo Carlini to counter his pain with sombre serenades that are just as emotive. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on ‘House of Debris’ and the excellent, ‘Suspended Alive’. Both tracks showcase the paradoxical emotions of rage and despair, with the latter delivering an Italian soliloquy in the middle eight. Lorenzo Carlini will remind you of Talk, Talk legend, Mark Hollis, but with a Latin tinge to the Germanic pronunciation of his English lyrics.

Doom metal albums often underwhelm in the guitar department. All those slow downstrokes and droning notes can tire the listener, but Invernoir make sure this seldom happens. The opening hook to ‘The Burden’ is a monstrous riff that gives way to a wonderful palm-muted verse and will have you nodding your head and tapping your foot in no time as you imagine yourself walking through the Yorkshire moors in slow motion. Every ringing fifth chord has a countervailing melody higher up the fretboard, much like the interplay between Gregor Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy on a typical Paradise Lost album. You can even swing your head to the rhythms if your mood allows it.

If the album presents many highs among the (deliberate) emotional lows, it also has a few moments of inconsequential plodding. This is not unexpected in a doom metal album, but parts of ‘At Night’ and ‘The Loneliest’ pass over your head like an announcement from a train station loudspeaker. You know what we mean: The next train to arrive at platform 17C is the 09:28 to Cleethorpes… Normally, you switch off once you realise it’s not related to your journey. The band also come close to plagiarising the intro to My Dying Bride’s ‘The Dreadful Hours’ on ‘House of Debris’ including the same rainswept noises in the background. Only a chunky verse riff and glowing vocal harmony stop it from slipping into a tribute song.

This album is a treat if you like your metal introspective and slow, with flashes of light among the dark veil of distortion. It’s just as interesting for those more accustomed to faster tempos and blast beats. The emotions may seep into your system like a burden, but the music doesn’t.

Author: JVB

Review
Metal Temple
8/10
28.10.2020

INVERNOIR is a Gothic/Doom Metal band formed in Rome, Italy, in 2018. “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” is the band’s debut album, and contains eight tracks. The title track kicks off the album. It opens with the soft sound of rain, and clean, depressing guitar notes. About half way in, a distorted guitar riff drops, heavy and hard, but still with that sense of sadness. The drums work into a beat, and guttural vocals follow suit. “The Path” opens with distorted guitars and a little quicker pace. Vocals are harsh at first, then clean in the chorus. The melancholy nature of the music is fully displayed. It makes you ache in ways you have never experienced before. It finished with what sounds like violin notes, and clean vocals of despair.

“House of Debris” is just a little shorter. It begins with some doleful guitar notes and some background chanting. The harsh vocals lament…tearing you apart. The clean vocals and screams are equally as effective. I like the trade-off between the two, as well as the vocal harmonies. Around the half-way mark, it drops to just some solitary clean guitars and vocals, finishing with anguished screams. “Suspended Alive” opens with more dreary rain falling and doleful clean guitars. Harsh vocals and distorted guitars drop, and it’s a gut-wrenching affair. Some clean vocals mix in with the harsh vocals, creating layers of depression. A key change along with some whispered vocals takes the song in a new direction.

“Cast Away” begins with this charming melody in the guitars, giving you a glimmer of hope. The clean vocals are but a dream, floating in front of you, but out of your reach. The harsh vocals quickly dash any hopes you may have had. Dual clean vocals and lead guitar notes really hit you hard…they are so emotional. “The Burden” opens with a slow groove, and low, distorted guitar notes. The harsh vocals tear your soul into pieces. But, the clean vocals add a little reprieve from the hardened nature of the track. “At Night” begins with a full, rich sound, created by guitar layers and a pounding bass, rhythm and drum section. As it moves forward, the Doom elements become stronger, leaving you with a profound senses of loss. The clean vocals and guitars in the end support this great burden.

“The Loneliest” closes the album. Some clean guitars lead to harmonized vocals. Harsh vocals and distorted guitars join the fold and absolutely wipe out any of the mellow sound in the opening, which returns in the end. Overall, this was an excellent album that took Doom metal to new dimensions with the addition of clean vocals as well as some melodic guitars. When you think of Doom, you think of very long songs and slow, lumbering tracks with guttural vocals that just gets old after a while. This was a fresh take on the genre, without sacrificing that totally dejected feeling you get from the music. Highly recommend.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8

Author: Dave "That Metal Guy" Campbell

Review
MusicMap

“The Void and the Unbearable Loss” è l’album di debutto degli Invernoir, formazione romana che comprende membri di Ars Onirica, Black Therapy e Lykaion. L’obiettivo dichiarato era quello di ripercorrere strade doom metal anni Novanta, recuperando in parte il sound di band come i Katatonia e i Paradise Lost, non dimenticando la tradizione britannica (Anathema e My Dying Bride). Incorporando nel sound anche soluzioni più orecchiabili, che mai snaturano l’anima della proposta, gli Invernoir approdano in un melodic doom metal che si colora di death e si contraddistingue per un umore scuro, figlio di atmosfere sempre malinconiche e decadenti. Al netto di qualche passaggio che tende a somigliare troppo a qualcosa di già sentito, gli otto brani di “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” scorrono con una certa fluidità in virtù della loro compattezza e della scelta di non inseguire manierismi spesso non necessari. Il growl, unito a una produzione parecchio curata, restituisce sensazioni positive in termini di visione d’insieme, esaltata anche da alcuni momenti come la titletrack, “The Burden” e la conclusiva “The Loneliest”: se le prime due sono segnate da una certa potenza e toni fortemente drammatici, l’ultima si evolve da chitarra acustica e synth per regalare una cavalcata più che mai adatta alla chiusura dell’album. “The Void and the Unbearable Loss” ci presenta una band parecchio in forma e con idee chiarissime, ma i margini di crescita sono ancora ampi.

Author: Piergiuseppe Lippolis

Review
Hardrock.it

Spalio 9 d. pasirodė italų melodic death/doom metal grupės "Invernoir" debiutinis albumas "The Void And The Unbearable Loss". Jame grupė stengiasi atkurti 90-ųjų dvasią bei šlovingus "My Dying Bride", "Anathema" ar "Katatonia" laikus. 8 kompozicijos, kurios "degina tarsi nakties vėjo speigas" bei kuriuose girdime tiek švarų vokalą, tiek ir growlą.
Objektyvią nuomonę apie darbą galite susidaryti perklausę finalinę kompoziciją "The Loneliest" arba diską pristatantį singlą "Suspended Alive".