Liste der Bands Ambiant Black Verwüstung (USA) Beyond the Watercolor Sunset, We Feel New Life

You float aimlessly in the blissful emptiness. Formless masses of calming light swirl all around you, they embrace you, cover you and purge any negative emotion from every fiber of your being. The voices of troubled mortals break through into this endless void but you are too far away to care, you are in a state of absolute serenity. Suddenly, without any prior warning you are plunged into the dark underbelly. Black impenetrable walls of chaotic mass close in on you, you see no escape from this plane, you lie there unable to comprehend what is going on, your mind constantly bombarded with grief and despair. Then suddenly you are lunged back into the tranquil void, unable to comprehend what happened. Lying there peacefully with no problems breaking through. You are in a state of sublime ecstasy, then suddenly you are plunged back into the chaotic underbelly. It's grim impenetrable walls drawing you closer and closer in, there is no way out this time and you lay there waiting for the inevitable end.
This is the type of atmosphere that Verwüstung portrays on this masterpiece of an album beautifully titled Beyond the Watercolor Sunset, We Feel New Life. In all my time of listening to music I have yet to hear something that creates such an incredible atmosphere as this. What makes this release so fantastic at this is that it is essentially split into two sections. There is the light side that represents hope and serenity. Then there is the dark, grim section that emulates grief and despair. Each section is interwoven perfectly into the music.

The album starts off with a relaxing ambient sound scape. They perfectly emulate the feeling of hope and serenity this album so masterfully creates. The calming ambient sections goes on for about six minutes creating a hypnotic droning atmosphere. Voices leak in, you can hear a conversation about someone going through alcoholism (well that's what I could make out anyway). This section is all about hope and tranquility. No other metal band in existence can convey these feelings so flawlessly as Verwüstung can. The atmosphere is just so good it can't be described in just a few sentences it really needs to be heard to be believed.

After six minutes of relaxing ambient over tones the album kicks into a full on Black Metal frenzy accompanied with razor sharp whirling dissonant riffs. The distortion featured here is insane and honestly I couldn't imagine it any other way. Of course if you hate distortion then you will be appalled by this because the guitar tone is unforgivably devastating. This will tear through most listeners like knives through paper but for the others it will captivate them and plunge them into a surreal nightmarish world. I love my Black Metal to be raw, primal and aggressive and this release has some of the harshest moments in music, it almost makes Brutal Death Metal sound like Folk music in comparison. Well maybe not but hopefully you can see that the Black Metal parts are harsh as hell.

Then the album breaks off into tranquil guitar notes to give your beaten skull a much needed rest from the full on mental assault you have just endured. These calm sections give feelings of warmth and hope that you missed as a young child. The change over from Black Metal to calm, relaxing over tones is flawless. Most bands seldom succeed in doing something like this but Verwüstung does it so well it puts all other bands to shame. The guitar doesn't do anything overly complex and technical and to be honest if it did it would destroy the atmosphere.

What makes this album so good in succeeding in the atmospheric section is its minimalist compositions. The track drones on without much variation within each section. Of course if you're going to be close minded and say that minimalism is pointless and it shows nothing but lack of musical know how then I feel sorry for you that you'll never be able to enjoy this incredible piece of work. I love Black Metal to be minimalist, in my opinion it just makes it so much more atmospheric than if it was filled with overly technical riffs which almost always lack emotion by the way. Like one of my friends once said; music doesn't have to be complex to be good it just has to have soul and passion and this dear readers is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. The last section of this record is a full on Black Metal assault equipped with grief, despair, and a heck of a lot of distortion. It's unforgivably brutal and wonderfully captivating.

The major themes of this record seem to be hope during the light sections and grief during the Black Metal parts and this record emulates them perfectly. This is the one of the most atmospheric records I have ever heard in my life and it is definitely going onto my list of albums that I consider perfect. Of course if you hate droning minimalist music then just walk away and listen to some Technical Death Metal though I must inform you that if you leave it you are missing a hell of a lot. This album is one that should be heard by all fans of the more atmospheric varieties of metal. It really is that good.