Liste der Bands Doom Black Lyrinx Nihilistic Purity

On first glance Lyrinx appears to be a fairly standard Depressive Black Metal band, typical logo, typical song names, fairly conventional logo, album artwork depecting suicide by gun shot, lyrics based around nihilism, suicide, depression yep it all sounds fairly conventional. So why the reason for the high score? Well this is without a doubt one of the best Depressive Black Metal releases I have EVER heard. This ranks right up there with S.U.I.Z.I.D by Bethlehem and Zrcadlení Melancholie by Trist. So what makes it so good I'd rank it alongside classics of the genre? The atmosphere, yes it really is that simple, most bands try to be depressing with over the top promo pics and album covers depicting people bleeding all over bath tubs (I'll never understand this whole fascination with cutting yourself in the bath), Lyrinx eschew the use of these stereotypes and forge their music out of pure negative, nihilistic depression.

The whole album is drenched in a thick cloak of loathing, depression and desolation that sucks the listener in trying to inflict as much pain as possible within its running it and to be honest it works. This is the audial equivalent of Requiem For A Dream. When I first listened to it I was under the assumption that nothing could be more depressing than Bloody Melancholy by Life Is Pain, I was wrong this is so much more depressing it makes Life Is Pain sound like Nightwish in comparison (maybe not that extreme but you can see where I'm coming from.) Every aspect of this album oozes depression, the lyrics, the song titles, the artwork everything is forged with the sole extent to be as depressing as possible and you know what, no other band pulls it off quite like Lyrinx.

This release is suprisingly riff oriented for a Depresssive Black Metal one, they pretty much break all conventions of the genre in just the instrumental aspect. First off there is not much minimalism on present here, don't expect two or three riff changes per album, minimalism doesn't rule supreme here. Also the riffs are suprisingly catchy, especially the second track where about 55 seconds in comes the catchiest riff I have ever heard in this sub genre of Black Metal. I'd recommend this album purely for the guitars alone because that is enough to convice you that Lyrinx are at the top of their game here. Don't let the focus on riffs fool you this is still the most depressing thing I have listened to within Black Metal, the riffs don't detract from this in anyway, quite the opposite in fact they help to escalate the depression levels rather than detract away from them. Also the song lengths are something worth mentioning, most Depressive Black Metal releases have long songs, really long songs in fact, Trist's Zrcadlení Melancholie has two songs and lasts 37 minutes, this release has 5 songs and doesn't last that long. To an extent they are similar to Bethlehem, more riff oriented, lack of keyboards, moderate song lengths, there's definetely some common ground between these two although Lyrinx lack the vocal distinction of Bethlehem, especially when Rainer Landfermann and Marco Kehren were behind the mic. Anyway now that I mentioned vocals I meant as well go into them. Lyrinx's vocalist who goes by the name Brennuvargr has got a very distinctive voice. Even though I don't think he's as good as the likes of Rainer Landermann (Bethlehem), Jan Šincl (Trist), Tim Yatras (Austere) or Letaliis (Photophobia), he's still a very capable and brilliant performer. His vocals aren't the usual affair, nope he's got more of a ghostly cry, to get an idea of how this guy sounds think Austere, the song This Dreadful Emptiness with those side splitting moans, think of them but try to imagine them as more distant and that the guy has given up on life rather than howling as if he was being tortured. He sounds vulnerable, like a defenceless animal. I know this is quite a ridiculous represenation of his voice but trust me it does actually sound like that. Every shriek speaks desolation, you can almost feel the emotional torment this guy is probably going through, he doesn't sound as pained as some other vocalists especially Tim Yatras but god this guys voice is way more depressing.

The songs on this album don't differ much in pace, or intention, all of them drip depression, all of them try to plunge you into a state of it. This album is depression itself and is certainly not for light listeners of the genre. One of the best songs is no doubt Deconstruction Of The Will To Live, no matter how many times I listen to it it makes me feel completely hopeless, isolated and cut off from reality, like I've been plunged into the void. Surely this is what Depressive Black Metal should be about, pure unrelenting loneliness rather than a theatrical celebration of suicide and the melancholy. Pure isolation and desolation, it is that simple, that is the only thing that makes Lyrinx's music stand above the rest of the herd, how real everything is. Nothing and I mean nothing can compare to this, this is Depressive Black Metal at its finest, highly recommend for fans of the genre.
Overall rating 20/20
Favourite tracks- Nihilistic Purity, Deconstruction Of The Will To Live and Exit- The Pain Of Existence, I know it's more a continuation of the fourth track but that acoustic break is the most depressing thing I've ever listened to.