CLOBBER
And Now The Owls Are Smiling’s sole member, Nre, calls rural Norfolk home, and its unforgiving landscape seeps into Dirges through haunting black metal atmospheres that chart a journey from grief to liberation. This is a dynamic work; Solitude is riven with sorrowful melodies while Darkness’s radiant guitars push against Nre’s bleak vocals, and ultimately lose. Ascension’s synthesised wafts offer a final act of redemption and release, capping a shining example of black metal that speaks from the heart. ■■■■■■■■■■
FOR FANS OF: Panopticon, Xasthur, Empyrium