You ever just have nothing to do during your day so you scout Bandcamp or YouTube for an album that has interesting cover art? It doesn’t have to be exactly special, it just has to be different from the crowd. That’s how I tend to find the albums I listen to throughout the week, and while sometimes I find duds, there are the rare occasions I find diamonds. A photo of a lake, highlighted by the reflection in the water, is what caught my eye one day. Giving it a listen, I found one of those diamond scenarios. Hyalithe’s debut, “As If Sunlight Could Warm The Deceased” by Jori Apedaile is such a phenomenal piece of work and a real pleasure to have found. At this point, I’ve listened to the record well over three times and feel it would be a shame to not write an album review.
You immediately hear Burzum in the very first couple of seconds of ‘Worsening’, vocals included (with a tint of Wrest). While not exactly different from what other Burzum copycats create, the importance lies at the very end, as the song begins to ebb. That ebb continues for over a minute into the second song, before exploding with energy. You can hear so many little pieces of instrumentation in that ‘explosion’, creating an incredibly dramatic and almost theatrical display of emotion. The drum work, while blistering fast and cymbal heavy, competes with the slow pace of the vocals, the guitarwork, and the bass, making this interesting competition of sounds and melody. The song ebbs and flows very graciously, and that is heard throughout the album. I also adore the little Agalloch-like guitar riffs, whether electronic or acoustic, that come and go, especially towards the end of the second song.
The album’s slowest song, ’Eurydice’ is heavy in conveying this sense of pain, sorrow, and dread. The drums slowly lug as the guitars, faintly playing in the background, manage to pull at all of your heart strings through melody. The guitar has many of its own slow tempo solos that somehow speak so much without needing to be overtly complex. There are little offerings of hope and light that surface, only to be squelched by the screams of Jori and the altercation of the guitars. This theme of slowness meets melody plays into the fifth song as well beautifully. Interestingly, are those synthesizers I hear at the end of ‘Exiled To Your Past’ briefly? Wow.
I think the fan favorite, though, is “The Light Upon My Shadow”. If this band were to play it live, the intro alone would be met with applause. It’s so melodic and the tremolo picking, the signature of black metal, are perfect. The vocals sync with the clanging of the cymbals, followed by the guitars syncing with the pause of the drums. I hear ‘Gebrechlichkeit’ from Burzum’s “Filosofem” along with Jori’s own unique rawness, which is such a different and interesting combination of music, linked only by their overall depressing tone. I think the final song, while not exactly a song nor any instrumentation, is a perfect end to the album.
Overall, I tip my hat off to Jori. I always love finding solo member projects that just kill it. It’s one thing to make a great record with three or more members, it’s another thing with two, and it’s a real special treat when it’s just one person doing all the work. The record is an homage to, in my mind, the ‘what should have been’ that we all feel from time to time. You can fit that puzzle in for yourself. I initially thought it was unfortunate for the lyrics to not included. With the atmosphere of the record and the names of both the songs and the record itself, I first thought the lyrics would have offered an additional glimpse as to the meaning behind the music. But then, on my third listen, I realized that putting my own thoughts and feelings to this record are what made it so special to me. I look forward to more from this project, and I can’t emphasize enough how much you should give “As If Sunlight Could Warm The Deceased”, a try!
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
