Trist​ /​ Lonesummer "Split CD"

Track 1: Trist
Tracks 2-6: Lonesummer

The first track on this split is by Grist, a one man black metal project from the Czech Republic, and it takes up its allotted time on the split with one 20 minute track. As the track begins a fuzzy wave of droning guitar crashes over you and for me it was quite calming. The guitar in this track is very sparse as far as chord progressions are concerned but this minimalistic element is quite hypnotic. The other clear element is the drumming; this is also quite unchanging and deviates little from the beat it starts off with. This is not bad however, the steady drums along with the droning guitar join together to create a very strong atmosphere. It conjures up feelings of dread and sadness; loneliness and desolation. It made me think of an abandoned train station or the abandoned town of Prypiat, the town that was evacuated after the Chernobyl Plant disaster. There is very little vocal work in this track and it is very faint and very early on in the track. Another thing is the possibility of keyboards, I’m not sure if these are actually present but it could be the drone from another guitar just barely audible. The mixing is rather good and most of the crucial components are mixed correctly as to be audible. Despite the sparseness of the track its atmosphere carries it forward; it’s a very good piece of atmospheric black metal.
Now for the second half of the split, Lonesummer, a one man raw black metal or blackgaze project as i like to define Lonesummer. This is somewhat of a mixed bag; a predominately good mixed bag but a mixed bag nonetheless. The tracks have a melodic element which gives a nod towards shoegaze, which I love. I think it gives life to a genre that’s blast beats and atonal tremolo picking are beginning to become tedious, that’s only true for some black metal as some do very well in standing out in the thousands of other black metal bands. The melodic guitar is a very nice addition and the drone in the background done by a second guitar lifts the melodic element and gives it depth, and in the faster moments of the song the tremolo picking and droning guitar layer are done quite melodically. There is bass but it’s barely audible as it is quite low in the mix. The drums are just the right level for the track and stand out in the melodic shoegaze moments and fade slightly in the more ‘black’ areas to create the sort of sadness and regret that pervade a lot of the songs on the split. The production is raw without being intolerable; it is obvious that it is raw as there is a space after every song while everything is disconnected. The raw element is strong but gives the music clarity of its own. This takes me to the one problem I have with Lonesummer’s tracks on this split, the vocals. While the instrumental aspect of the split is great, the vocals sound like a very peeved owl which is quite annoying, that is the only thing that hinders this half of the split. However this split still stands out on its instrumental merit and the interesting take on black metal.

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