Rusting Sun - Behind The Shadows

'Behind The Shadows' may seem like a simple album with just five tracks named I-V, but already fan curiosity is piqued because usually such simplicity means a concept album, or extremely progressive and interesting Metal. Rusting Sun is a Black Metal experiment that merges the sounds of bands like Leviathan and Deathspell Omega for a highly nightmarish listen, but one that cannot be turned away from. All epic tracks, the music consists of churning maelstroms of tremolo picking amongst tortured snarls or low moans of clean vocals amidst single picked strings that keep listeners hanging in suspense because they don't know when all Hell is going to break loose again. On a track like "I" the more ambient parts are eerily like Xasthur and just have the excellent suicidal/ depressive BM atmosphere that was so captivating for its time. Other times the music is faster, more energetic, and almost Thrash-like. On another track like "III" there are no moments of peace at all and everything is just full chaos much like the earlier work of Leviathan- uncompromising darkness and spiteful music with excellent musicianship that isn't all repeats.

Sometimes the band will even sneak in classical moments for a strong Doom Metal atmosphere like the piano interlude on "V," which shows some of the most beautiful merges of Black and Symphonic Metal together due to the high contrast of sound. It's only for a little bit but definitely shows off the band's avant-garde qualities. Overall this is an excellent album to sink into with the ingenious similar to bands like Ruins Of Beverast. The songs are epic- some clocking past ten minutes- making the album certainly worth a buy so listeners do not feel cheated of time, but the best part is these lengthy tracks are always evolving and changing without any moments of monotony where listeners can skip five minutes and end up on the exact same notes they were hearing earlier. This is a definite must for any fan of eclectic Black Metal.

  1. I
  2. II
  3. III
  4. IV
  5. V