冷 - 日落

Angry Metal Guy

Rare is the promo we receive for extreme metal out of Taiwan, save for the odd gross slam record. Naturally, getting any promo from a region not particularly well known in the West for their burgeoning metal scene draws the eye, and mine eye was surely drawn. Enter 冷 (translated into the Latin alphabet as Laang), a melodic black metal outfit from Keelung City. Established in 2018, the band’s creator found inspiration from his experience living in a comatose state after getting shot during a botched car-jacking (or so Metallum details). For him, the time spent in a coma was like being in “a place beyond hell,” so, naturally, his particular take on black metal reflects the desperate terror of that place. Seems like a perfect fit for a black metal project, doesn’t it?

For those of you familiar with bands like Vengeful Spectre and White Ward, you’ll find much to like in 冷’s third record, entitled 日落 (Riluo). It’s dramatic, it’s intense, and it’s deeply layered. Lush orchestrations and plucky folk-inspired strings (all synthesized, I believe) contribute increasingly bombastic swaths of drama as 日落 progresses through thirty-five minutes of gutsy black metal. A nice detour from the black metal norm, 冷 uses blast beats relatively sparingly over the runtime, instead enlisting a legion of various patterns to drive the record inexorably forward. Vocals spew from the lungs of a terrorized soul, sounding every bit as gritty and fervent as you’d expect from a project with this one’s origin story. Guitar work across the board represents a novel blend of Western and Eastern melodies and songwriting tropes, and the record’s restless songwriting provides enough flexibility for that emotive guitar work to shine.

Liuxue de Taiyang 流血的太陽 (Single) by Laang 冷

Memorability is, perhaps unsurprisingly, 日落’s greatest strength. Despite the overly glossy and cramped production (and complete lack of bass presence), the hero elements of 冷’s compositions ring out clearly and pack enough of a punch to leave the memory of my experience with them intact as I tend to my broken bones. Strong hard points and robust structures not only provide each of 日落’s eight tracks with a distinct personality but also grant them a palpable presence that won’t be soon forgotten (“紅海 (Honghai),” “夜曲 (Yequ)”). Diligent application of repetition throughout these tracks further ensures that most of the material on hand sticks for an unexpectedly lengthy period of time after the final note fades. In a valiant effort to stave off the boredom that repetition often invites, 冷 jams several competitive ideas—whether they take the form of memorable lead tremolos, vaguely Gothenburg melodeath riffs, or cool tricks on the drumkit—into the rotation per cut (“折磨 (Zhemo)”). As a result, this tight record is incredibly easy to replay, and proves that 冷 know exactly what they need to do with their ideas to make them hit hard and do lasting damage.

Unfortunately, memorability is also 日落’s greatest weakness. For every powerful segment of passionate black metal, there’s an equalizing misstep that steals the spotlight away. Many of these missteps are the result of unruly drum mapping. While I applaud the drummer’s ability to choose interesting patterns, fills, and directions to diversify the experience rather than resorting to endless blasts, I do wonder if they occasionally attempt to fill too much percussive density into tight spots. More than once, they stuff an unnecessarily acrobatic flourish or transition into their performance, almost losing the rhythm and tempo of the song in the process (“暴雨 (Baoyu ),” “夜曲 (Yequ)”). Additionally, 冷 sometimes allow repetition to get the better of them, introducing a sense of rigidity to the record that detracts from its emotional core and causes some of 日落’s tightest compositions to feel overburdened (“巨人 (Juren)”). Consequently, as easy as 日落 is to engage with and revisit, it’s also quite jarring to experience its shortcomings in real-time.

My time spent with 冷’s third record leaves me with a difficult task ahead: scoring. There’s much to enjoy about what 冷 created here, but there’s just as much to give me pause. I thoroughly enjoyed the songwriting offered, and the passion behind this project pierces every defense I have at my disposal. Sadly, the reckless, if creative, drumming and repetitive structuring prevented me from immersing fully with the experience. Therefore, I can’t honor 日落 with my full-throated recommendation.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Talheim Records
Websites: laang.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/LaangOfficial
Releases Worldwide: November 24th, 2023

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