Published: February 16, 2014

I am amazed how little attention and energy is being spent on such a trifle as a band name or a title of an album. As there is all to often no immediate necessity to rush things in terms of a physical release, which in this respect has even seen a delay, it opens the questions on why this negligence is indeed necessary? It seems superfluous somehow. 

The opening and closing of “No Stars, Only Full Dark” are some kind of white noise texture which comes over as a crack in the fabric of reality, through which the music is or has been allowed to shine. If there are no stars and if the darkness becomes overbearing, as it enwraps everything and everyone, this band provides a glimpse into a different sphere, to a different place and space. What unfolds then is a confusing set of elements and the more the music presents itself over the course of the album, the more the listener might be taken aback. Even though the Metal Archives lists Windbruch as depressive black metal right now, such is actually a misnomer and unable to cover all of the facets that happen to be on this album. For instance, the vocals are rather atypical in their expression and style or rather would be commonly associated with the aforementioned genre. Post-metal creates less of a headache, because the focus is rather on the non-metal part than vice versa. 

Even though there are undoubtedly metal parts on this album, in style and sound it feels somewhat different. Somehow it seems to continue where the band left of on the preceding split album Silentium! Rather atmospheric guitars, a melancholic atmosphere and a certain steadiness in the progression of the motives are important then any emphasis on metal guitars or characteristic metal elements. At times, all is being lead by a melody, whose part is then accompanied by metal guitars and not the other way around; the more the album progresses, the more the music shifts into this direction. Furthermore, the focal point of it all is never where someone would expect it to be. 

Aside from this, considering the low amount of vocals throughout the release, it should be obvious on how the shares are distributed and on what to expect. There is a childish touch to the music, which wakes memories of a different band: Alcest. Of course, in terms of the quality, level of craftsmanship and so on, both bands play in different leagues, but the Russian one has something in common with the French one. There is a bewildering loftiness in several of the compositions, which is created by a very basic as well as minimalist set of elements; often not guitars but keyboards lead the melodies. Windbruch keep it simple, rely on the use of a good amount of repetition and sound textures in order to create the atmosphere. It is therefore of no surprise to experience as distinct steadiness and flow in the progression of the motives, which is seldom disrupted in one way or another. This brings in another genre: dark ambient. Noise and textural stylistics point towards this genre, even though it plays only a minor role in the concept. 

Even after at least thirty spins this album still leaves a somewhat strange taste behind. What is it that the music is all about? What is it? How should one add all things together? It is a fascinating mess. A tiring rollercoaster. It is decaffeinated coffee with some rest of caffeine on top of it. Praise and hate seem to be close to each other in terms of this output..