Published: May 14, 2018

I do not know what it is about the depressive black metal scene lately but new albums pop up almost daily and a lot of these bands are making some solid releases. One of these bands is Portland, Oregon’s None which blends a unique mix of both atmospheric and depressive black metal. Life Has Gone On Long Enough is the second album by None, released this year through Hypnotic Dirge Records. The album features eight tracks of organic bleak and utterly hopeless soundscapes.

The album truly capitalizes on the use of disembodied screams of sorrow, distorted melodies of pain and eerily haunting leads. Each track is captivating while creating a sense of despair and sadness. The album is what feels like the soundtrack to wandering helplessly through the darkest forest to find a sense of abandonment and pain. The lyrics deal with misery, grief and alcoholism which are all things that bring upon depression. Tracks such as Hypoxic and Corroded both differ so much in sound but capture the emotion behind the music. The despair in the vocals and well thought out instrumentals are ever present throughout each track.

This album is how DSBM has truly progressed and become something both beautiful and dark. None has made a masterpiece in the depressive black metal realm and if you are a fan of haunting, painful and just plain amazing black metal in the likes of ColdWorld and Totalselfhatred, then this album is a must have for your collection.