The Howling Void - Shadows Over The Cosmos (CD)

symphonic funeral doom, Solitude Productions, Solitude Productions
533.33 Р
Price in points: 800 points
SP. 034-10 x
In stock
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The second album of project of the talented musician Ryan reveals new masterpiece of symphonic funeral doom metal! "Shadows Over The Cosmos" has a potential to become a master form of the genre along with best pieces of such bands as Colosseum and Ea: five endless tracks of majestic funeral doom filled with cold enigma and infinity of Cosmos. This sincere music will capture the listener until the very last second opening the beauty of Creation before him. Additional sense is brought by a picture called “Thaw” by a Russian painter of 19th century Feodor Vasilyev used in the artwork:. The CD is printed with pit-art and gold plated.

Tracklist:
1 The Primordial Gloom 12:20
2 Shadows Over The Cosmos 14:56
3 Wanderer Of The Wastes 12:01
4 The Hidden Sun 5:14
5 Lord Of The Black Gulf 13:03

Artist:
The Howling Void
Artist Country:
United States
Album Year:
2010
Title:
Shadows Over The Cosmos
Genre:
symphonic funeral doom
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Jewel Case
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 034-10
Release Year:
2010
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Review
Doom-metal.com
20.09.2010

Oh man, that is good!

'Shadows Over The Cosmos' is the second full-length of the Howling Void. An american one-man project that displays the kind of icy soundscapes you usually encounter in the frozen solitude of the Ural steppes. This second opus comes after an already more-than-good album and brings all the potential of the latter to an even deeper, wider scale.

Carving utterly despondent melodic lines, the guitars are the trademark of The Howling Void. Howling guitars indeed, dropping crushing notes, droning despair and grief. And sad, sad, sad lighter melodies that grasp you by the throat. No anger or aggressivness of any kind in this whirling emotional maelstrom, but an ode to melancholy and bigger-than-life feelings. Powerfully gloomy and dark 'Shadows Over The Cosmos' will prostrated you by its incredible mix of Doom and Bliss. The Howling Void is something like a unique voyage, a masterpiece of mellow Funeral Doom, it’ll make you shiver out of contentment and gratitude.

Majesty is everywhere: in the weeping leads, the drumming, the crushing rhythm guitar, the deep thundering growls, the cristal clear production. Without any big variations, the album flows over dark romantic oceans, like a poet’s tragic dream, to a shadowy magic destination; like a big vessel full of inner hopes and joys, but gleaming of a bitter despair from the outside.

Excessively well controlled keys, not overly present, help sustaining the stucture, bringing it its wide scope. Dramatic without sounding clichй or cheap, the album runs fluent, obvious - altough you can hear the amount of hard work that was been involved in this piece of art.

Shadow over the Cosmos is an expertly crafted piece of Funeral Doom. Mellow yes, but oh-so-beautiful. Maybe overly romantic for some but the strength of the emotions can’t be denied.

Add to that excellence a beautiful artwork, a cristal clear, well-balanced production and you can only salute the artist who give birth to that gem. Just Bravo!

Author: Bertrand Marchal
Review
Deaf Sparrow
4/5

The Howling Void’s soleman simply Ryan is all over the place. He must have a lot of free time in his hands. He drums in a black metal band called The Hordes of the Morning Star, does the same plus provides noise and other duties to a noise grind project called Intestinal Disgorge. And as if that wasn’t enough, he provides all the instrumentation for a sludge drone duo called Normpeterson. If you think about it, it makes sense and this is the best way to go. Instead of mixing all his metal likings into a rancidmetal salad he focuses each project in a particular style. In the case of The Howling Void, Ryan is all about the doom. Symphonic and funeral. Knowing all this is knowing Ryan is an acid man, so the ‘symphonic’ part isn’t at all overwrought by copious servings of Casio keyboards and cheap programming. Instead, this multi-instrumentalist attacks the style head on with blunt riffs, a layer of ethereal atmospherics and a voice deeper than the hole on top of the Mauna Loa.
Review
Atlantis Tales
9/10

И вновь мрачное величие фьюнерал-дума погружает весь мир в таинственное Ничто... THE HOWLING VOID – сравнительно недавний проект некоего R. Впрочем, узнать кто же скрывается под этим инициалом не составляет особого труда: Ryan Wilson – весьма разноплановый музыкант из США, известный по своему участию в агрессивной goregrind команде INTESTINAL DISGORGE и еще ряде проектов, среди которых BITCH HUNTER (также grindcore), THE COLD EARTH, HORDES OF THE MORNING STAR, NORMPETERSON. Новое начинание Райана THE HOWLING VOID – своеобразный переход в диаметрально противоположный угол метал-сцены от ультрабыстрого грайндкора к ультрамедленному фьюнерал-думу. Уже дебютный альбом “Megaliths Of The Abyss”, выпущенный в 2009 году на black/death-ориентированном американском значке Black Plague Records, очень убедительно заявил о THV, как о серьезном и высокопрофессиональном проекте; второй же альбом, “Shadows Over The Cosmos”, упрочнил позиции THV на замогильной сцене... В США подобная музыка представлена небогато – вспоминается лишь несколько имен: RIGOR SARDONICOUS, CATACOMBS (HIEROPHANT), CELESTIAL, TORTURE WHEEL, WRAITH OF THE ROPES, ну и, конечно же, EVOKEN. Большинство из перечисленных команд весьма пренебрежительно относятся к качеству звука, оставаясь в глубоком андеграунде, THE HOWLING VOID же, напротив, обладает мощным и сочным звуком. Кроме того, музыка THV очень мелодична, с огромным влиянием оркестровок – их чуть ли не больше, чем гитарного звука – и это сильно выделяет THV из числа земляков. Здесь скорее уместны сравнения с европейскими представителями жанра: SHAPE OF DESPAIR, COLOSSEUM, COMATOSE VIGIL и стоящим в стороне по причине своей конспиративности проектом EA. Если не растекаться мыслью по древу, подбирая эпитеты о бесконечности космоса и ничтожности человечества в его масштабах, то можно резюмировать так: “Shadows Over The Cosmos” – талантливо сочиненный и качественно записанный мелодичный и мягкий funeral doom metal, создающий правильную и знакомую любому думстеру атмосферу, и звучащий как раз в меру – чуть меньше часа. Диск выполнен с золотым напылением и пит-артом, а на обложке можно увидеть известную картину художника-передвижника Федора Васильева “Оттепель”.

Author: Atlantis
Review
HeadBanger
9/10
02.08.2010

Техасский ВИА The Howling Void состоит из всего лишь одного тугодума со звучным именем Р. Этот тип прошлой зимой (2009 - 2010) сочинил, сыграл, спел и записал альбом "Shadows Over The Cosmos", который подарит вам целый час удовольствия от прослушивания пяти тягучих, почти бесконечных фьюнерал-думовых гимнов мраку и заторможенному ужасу. Добро пожаловать в мир прекрасного паралича! Забудьте о руках и ногах - у вас нет тела, так что чешите прямым курсом в чёрное-пречёрное небо. С чёрными облаками, как на картинке на обложке и в буклете авторства некоего Фёдора Васильева, занимавшегося графической версией дума в XIX веке. Из-за этих его прекрасных воздушных облаков вы сможете сломать глаза, если попытаетесь разобрать тексты, - чёрные буковки красиво сливаются с чёрным фоном. Чёрт с ними; наслаждайтесь необременённым мыслью полётом на свинцовых, но удивительно мягких тучах музыкальной мысли. Серьёзно: тяжесть и заторможенность материала невероятно высоки, но при этом песни мягкие, как цветочные лепестки. Мягко пьётся этот напиток! Всё дело в аромате: дядя Рэ набил свои безразмерные музыкальные дирижабли пушистым сеном симфонических, клавишных и гитарных мелодий. Тут их, может быть, штук пять на пять песен, но слушается это эффектно. Почти как Shape Of Despair, - нужно лишь вычистить всю лирику и романтическую сентиментальность, так милую нам у финнов. Как там пелось в песне: "Секс - как это мило!". Тут ничего милого нет, - парень очень мрачен и соплей не любит. Другая особенность The Howling Void - занимательные гитарные лиды, сыгранные тремоло. Визуальная аналогия: похожая на слона туча выбрасывает из себя тонкую, извилистую струю крови, оплетающую небо кольцами. Интересный приём. Хороший диск. Эффективно нейтрализует моторную активность слушающего организма, отделяя душу от мяса и прогоняя её в так называемый астрал. Вернувшись на землю, посчитайте у себя седые волосы, - прибавилось? За удовольствие надо платить.

Author: Richter
Review
Metallized
7/10

Siete “doomster di razza”?
Se la risposta è “sì” sarà impossibile non giungere, a mezzo web, newsletter, forum specializzati, tra le spire musicali di questo solo-project a stelle e strisce nominato The Howling Void. Da secondo full-lenght, dopo il buon pseudo-funeral di Megaliths Of The Abyss, verrebbe infatti da asserire che, solo per la label che lo promuove -la Solitude Productions- ed il tipo di sound cercato -un doom atmosferico alla Ea, Shape Of Despair, Colosseum et similia-, Shadows Over The Cosmos sia uno di quei prodotti da acquistare a scatola chiusa. Stante però che anche la qualificatissima etichetta russa ha recentemente “forzato” qualche release spacciando quale materiale di culto reperti da cantina neanche tanto underground (The Sullen Route e Mournful Gust ad esempio), che un certo tipo di metal scorrettamente accostato al funeral è oramai divenuto modaiola merce “da banco” e, soprattutto, che la scuola americana è genericamente piuttosto avulsa alle cifre stilistiche in cui il buon Ryan intende cimentarsi -performandosi con maggior successo nell’ultraslow più raw (Evoken su tutti) o nel drone (Sunn O))), Khanate, Methadrone, ecc..)- ritengo sia il caso di stringere il più possibile le maglie della critica in modo da ben interpretare questo nuovo dischetto e fornirvi quanti più elementi utili per la scelta dell’eventuale acquisto.

Va immediatamente sottolineato che, come da copione, il procedere strumentale dei The Howling Void è lentissimo e fortemente condizionato dalle onnipresenti tastiere, strumento (soventemente trattato in multilinea) che si eleva a primo attore in tutte le 5 tracce dell’album e solo sporadicamente coadiuvato dall’intaglio melodico dalla 6 corde che è altresì intesa come semplicissimo e “lontano” mezzo di rifinitura. Gli interventi in single-notes di quest’ultima, rari ma sempre interessanti, sono letteralmente surclassati dalla pienezza restituiva delle keys, costantemente sdoppiate tra partitura primaria (pianoforte) e linea d’accompagno (synth): un maggior bilanciamento con la chitarra (come nella titletrack) avrebbe reso più velenoso e ostile l’amalgama tipo che invece, troppo frequentemente, si affida al solo growling per tenere ben saldo il proprio posizionamento all’interno del mondo metal come molti di voi lo conoscono. A tratti, quando si rinuncia al doppio/triplo strato di sinth, pare di essere alle prese con un depressive doom depurato dalla risacca del guitarism ipercompresso e tonante; altrimenti (praticamente sempre) è la risonanza armonica a spiccare quale elemento guida di questo secondo album.
Nonostante la verbosità verticale, l’esasperata bradiritmia ed il growling chiusissimo e catacombale su cui si insinuano le letali e desolanti lyrics, Shadows Over The Cosmos suona -ad una prima disamina- semplice ed intuitivo. Le cause di questo vero e proprio easy-listening (situazione quasi contraddittoria per una classificazione tanto estrema) sono motivate sia dalle scelte compositive operate dall’eclettico mastermind Ryan (personaggio impegnato in numerosi e differenti progetti underground che vanno dal black al brutal), sia da quelle legate all’aspetto produttivo: da un lato tutti i leitmotiv sono elementari, tremendamente orecchiabili e svolti nel continuum con un’impressionante e disarmante ricorsività che consente di memorizzare in pochi attimi il relativo gironote; dall’altro, tanto le scelte timbriche (programmazioni delle keys, distorsioni delle chitarre, approccio vocale), quanto quelle meramente tecnologiche (mixing, volumi, effettistica applicata), ricalcano schemi ordinari e ben noti a qualunque “doomster di razza”, inevitabile destinatario di questa ennesima release a sfondo misantropico.
Stesso discorso per le movenze metriche, rigorosamente trattenute dal quattro quarti battuto da un drumming in evidente (e ragionato) debito d’ossigeno, per il vocalism, monotòno e appiattito di qualsivoglia dinamica dall’invadente vocoder tuttavia denso ed alienante e per gli arrangiamenti, ben concepiti ma realizzati sulla falsariga dei citati capostipite.

Inutile nascondere che l’originalità non ha casa in questi The Howling Void che però riescono convincermi grazie alla ricercatezza ed alla cura dei particolari: i quasi 60 minuti di run beneficiano infatti di grande godibilità, regalando solchi intensi e tormentosi (The Primordial Gloom, Wanderer Of The Wastes), nella miglior tradizione europea; detto questo il problema di una esagerata ripetitività melodica c’è ed è impattante sul giudizio finale impedendo al sottoscritto di assegnare un valore di spicco. Tutti i tempos sono effettivamente prolissi e ridondanti: Ryan, probabilmente incapace di articolare a dovere il suo songwriting doom-style, cerca di superare la scarsa dinamicità dei brani applicando via via delle piccole variazioni sul tema trainante, ora interpretate attraverso la single notes (tremolo picking di The Primordial Gloom, solismi in genere), ora con l’ausilio di diverse programmazioni del synth, anche combinate e tra loro sovraincise. L’espediente, assolutamente ordinario, è sufficiente a superare con scioltezza i primi ascolti, ma a lunga gittata risulta inefficace impedendo la contrazione della vita utile del platter: le tracce di Shadows Over The Cosmos divengono con il passare degli ascolti troppo simili tra loro (salvo il trasognato interludio The Hidden Sun) e la soddisfazione, nel tempo, va perdendosi.

In poche parole i The Howling Void, il cui valore oggettivo è sicuramente sopramedia, vi stancheranno presumibilmente dopo pochi ascolti. Detto questo, i tanti momenti di commovente tristezza ed angosciosa melanconia fanno di Shadows Over The Cosmos un album su cui trovare appiglio per disperarsi dei propri insuccessi.
Il “doomster di razza”, a cui non mancano mai motivi per rammaricarsi, ce l’ha già nelle orecchie; gli altri ci possono tranquillamente provare, purché abbiano per sul serio qualcosa da commiserare.
E cercate di non mentire. Né a me, né a voi stessi…

Author: Massimiliano Giaresti "Giasse"
Review
Metal Crypt
3.75/5
13.08.2010

I happen to love Funeral Doom, and so I am always happy to give a new band a spin. Done well, no genre is more epic and emotional; and done poorly, none is more tedious. Thankfully, The Howling Void is not tedious at all, and if it falls short of captivating, it comes pretty close. This is a one-man project from a guy not far from my neck of the woods, and San Antonio is the last place I would have expected to find a Funeral Doom act this good.

There are no surprises for the fan here, as The Howling Void offer up slow songwriting, majestic keys, and melodic guitar riffs. The songs are long, the vocals are a muted growl, and the lyrics are odes to emptiness, ruin, and despair. If you are a fan of similar inscrutable bands like Ea then this is a good album to get. The melodies are not quite as involving as they could be, and this is so imitative of other albums it's hard to get really caught up in it, but it sounds plenty fine to my ears.

Author: Sargon the Terrible
Review
Femfogacs Webzine
9.4/10
08.07.2010

„…szószátyár tudatomat ércből alakokba önthetem át, életem neszét eltörölhetem feliratokba, testemet stílusba, az idő lagymatag csigavonalait örökkévalóságba.”
/Jean-Paul Sartre - A szavak/

Az amerikai The Howling Void-ról vagy nagyon sokat írsz vagy rövidre fogod a beszámolód, nos én utóbbi mellett döntök. A formációt Ryan hívta életre Texasban 2007-ben, említett művészünk felelős minden hangszerért, hangért és ritmusért, s mellesleg ilyen-olyan projektekben feltűnik még a neve, melyek közül mindenképpen a legkönnyebben emészthető a The Howling Void, bár a kísérletező kedv itt is megvan, ám nem csap át olyan szintre, mint pl. a Normpeterson vagy az Intestinal Disgorge ős-zaj hullámai esetében.



A hangzás tiszta, a külsőség jól sikerültek, melyekhez az 1800-as évek közepén élt orosz festőművész, bizonyos Fyodor Vasilyev képet használtak fel, mellesleg az említett ecsetbűvész fiatalon hunyt el, élete zaklatott volt és rövid, avagy tökéletesen azt a kiégett és szomorú valóságot mutatja, amit a képei, s persze erről szól a The Howling Void második nagylemeze is. Műfajilag a funeral doom szimfonikusabb, érzelmekkel telibb és mély értelműbb kohéziói lesznek a társunk a hosszú és bugyogó hörgéssel kísért gyászmenetben. A dalok többsége 10 perc feletti, de ezt a műfajtól megszokhattuk már, ahogy azt is, hogy felsorolhatnék egy adag nevet, amely hasonló, csak a legkézenfekvőbbet az EA formációt, amit megint csak a Solitude Productions és társai bocsájtottak a világra. Búskomor herceg délceg lován indul meg az ismeretlen tájba ágyazott látomás felé, mennydörgés és eső követi lépteit, s egy gondolat, hogy bevégezze végre azt, amelyet oly régen kezdett már meg. Élete értelme a megértés és az árnyékoktól való elrugaszkodás utolsó fázisa, némi fénnyel és világossággal álcázva a félelem reszkető malmait… Komor és melankolikus haldoklás ez, melyből ha a hörgést és a néhol túlzó gitárokat kivennénk, akkor pihentető és álmodó zenét kapnánk, amely akár egy drámai vagy elkínzott film végén is hallhatnánk. Az értékelés szubjektív, s úgy gondolom ez esetben olyan pontot adok rá, amin lehet egyesek vitatkozni fognak, de nekem kellemes volt ez az elmerülés…

Author: haragSICK
Review
Metal Maniacs
26.07.2010

This very recent release of US based funeral symphonic doom act The Howling Void is one of the most powerful albums that I’ve heard this year in terms of creating an encapsulating ominous and 100% isolationist atmosphere. This is definitely the epitome of the sounds of tragedy and despair, eternal suffering and longing for someone or even death itself. With most of the tracks clocking in at almost fifteen minutes a piece you can be sure that you will have very little difficulty being absorbed into this deserted world of pure despondent emotions, like being deserted in a vast wasteland of nothing, not even a mirage to keep you company.

When something is labeled DOOM, I expect and look forward to this depressive and heavy sound, the sound of your breath shortening from the weight of the burdens of life, the feel of drowning in ones regrets and emotions that amass like an ocean and intend to swallow you whole. On “Shadows Over The Cosmos” you get exactly what the title suggests, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel here as the entire universe is consumed by shadows and sadness. All of us need a break from our groovy and rhythmic doom to take a deep journey into another dimension or universe of gloom and despair at times, especially when looking to unwind after a long week or day and just disappear altogether. This is the perfect soundtrack to embark on that treacherous voyage to, it’ll wash over your consciousness in waves of dark and cold chords of doom.

In terms of sound you can expect something along the lines of Esoteric/Evoken/Ahab/Astral Sleep, in other words a grandiose and ultra heavy sound of abysmal dismay and utter hopelessness coming at you from within the catacombs of absolute suffering. The ultimate in heavy is here and not just present in the sound, but in the feeling as well. The experience created here lies somewhere between the epic, poetic and gripping ones created by the likes of Solitude Aeturnus and an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Highly recommended to fans of: Hallowed Butchery, Ahab, Esoteric, Evoken, Skepticism, My Dying Bride, Officum Triste, and label mates Astral Sleep.

Author: Janet Willis
Review
Metal Mtuk Zine

An hour of symphonic funeral doom from the heartlands of Texas here. This is a one man project from Ryan (no further name given) and he is also behind various other bands such as Hordes Of The Morning Star, Intestinal Disgorge and Normpeterson whom I am guessing are all varied and different affairs from this one. As far as the group name is concerned it is a bit of a misnomer, there is nothing in the way of howling here, only guttural and hoary, low in the mix vocals. Perhaps the Plodding Void would be a better name as there is a lot of that going on here. That is not to say that it is bad at all in fact the melodies that intertwine the five lengthy numbers is rather beautiful even if they are not going anywhere particularly fast.

This could perhaps come with a warning stating that it is not advisable to operate heavy machinery or drive whilst listening to it. I found that out yesterday when giving it an afternoon spin and sparking out during the second number only to wake up a couple of hours later. This is funeral doom though and such minimalist natures are to be expected and the symphonic air of this gives it an almost neo-classical feel, with the keyboards on numbers such as the descriptively entitled ‘The Primordial Gloom,’ casting a shroud clad air of misery over proceedings. It is all very dreamy perhaps with nightmares lurking in its wake and musically this hits all the right places and could well enrapture any lover of bands as diverse as Nortt, Ahab, Evoken and Esoteric.

There is a cold feel to this right down to the artwork on the cover portrait by Fyodor Vasilyev which is presented on a nice card inlay, again in a minimalist fashion. In a way although it feels like a slight cop-out this is one of those releases that I feel should be reviewed in such a fashion too. There are not a million and one things that can be said about this album, it is not hugely diverse and I feel like I have practically said it all already. This is well worth seeking out and is an album I will be both happy to fall asleep and stay awake with again on future listens. In essence ‘Shadows Over The Cosmos’ is a slumbering suicidal symphony which deserves to be experienced.

Author: Pete Woods
Review
Aristocrazia
19.07.2010

A solo un anno di distanza dal piccolo gioiello a titolo "Megaliths Of The Abyss", Ryan e il suo progetto The Howling Void ci deliziano con il successore "Shadows Over The Cosmos".
Le coordinate di base sono quelle note, funeral doom di matrice sinfonica, larghi spazi infiniti ma se nel primo capitolo erano gli abissi marini a essere esplorati, adesso è il turno del deserto cosmico.
Le cinque tracce, escludendo la breve "The Hidden Sun 4" di appena cinque minuti, si aggirano intorno a una durata media di circa tredici, per quanto dilatate e ampie si tratta del tempo adatto per dare la possibilità all'artista di elaborare la forma sonora più calzante alla vastità celata che vuole rappresentare.
La missione impostasi probabilmente con la creazione di questi nuovi episodi è quella di assorbire l'ascoltatore catapultandolo in un mare di sconforto nel quale abbandonarsi in un ondeggiare perpetuo di sensazioni che lo cullino senza sosta.
L'uso imponente dei synth accentua notevolmente l'adimensionalità, quella visione sconfinata che ha come colori portanti un grigio fitto e il nero di uno spazio privo di vitalità, lì dove le stelle sono implose castigate da un'assenza di motivazione, le ha condotte attraverso una desolante tristezza che le ritmiche groovy scandiscono inesorabilmente.
I brani sono solenni nel presentare una gamma di emozioni struggenti, le canzoni hanno un impatto forte ed estremamente personale, ciò permette loro di entrare in empatia con l'uditore avvolgendolo.
E' un album decisamente maturo "Shadows Over The Cosmos" coadiuvato da un'innata propensione epica e da una produzione pulita che fa arrivare ogni minima variazione all'interno del lento incedere all'orecchio di chi si pone all'ascolto.
Che apprezziate la malinconia del versante gothic My Dying Bride, il doom/death melodico di act quali Mourning Beloveth e Officium Triste o la vena funeral di Skepticism e Esoteric poco importa, quello che il platter dei The Howling Void vi offre saprà ricompensare la fiducia nella scelta d'inserirlo fra i vostri passaggi stereo.
Per gli amanti del genere un acquisto caldamente consigliato.

Author: Mourning
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