Laetitia In Holocaust: Rotten Light

The strangely named Laetitia In Holocaust have made an equally strange album in the form of Rotten Light. Sometimes strange is good but sadly, not in this case. Rotten Light is the follow up to their first release The Tortoise Boat, which I have not heard.

The cover is equally as strange showing enormous insects crawling over a spiked covered ball which I presume is the planet Earth. Not sure what to make of the cover art and the same can be said of the music.

The band is billed as black metal but I did not hear much of that. The music is more along the lines of experimental/avant-garde metal, often having little in the way melody and tonal qualities. The acoustic and electric riffs seemingly come from all angles, making these songs extremely hard 'to get'.

The album opening "Dialogue With The Sun (White Lions Rising)" builds with slow droning sounds and animal growls leading to off kilter rhythms and horrible vocals. I don't mind some growling vocals every now and again ( take Opeth for instance) but these are just not well done. The processed drum work is also a bone of contention. In "Black Ashen Aurora" a cacophony of noise builds amidst haphazard riffs and brutal vocals. It's definitely original but the song lacks an overall direction. The same can be said of "Le Perdu De Novembre" which may be too ambitious for its own good. The different sections just don't flow together smoothly enough to make it enjoyable.

However, there are a couple of bright spots. The somber guitar parts in "Sons Of Ice" are pretty cool and "The Inaccessible Door", contrary to the song's title, just may be the most accessible song here featuring nice acoustic work and whispered vocals that are much more easier on the ears.

That said, there are too many low points to recommend Rotten Light. If the band can reign in the experimentalism and focus on songwriting (like the last track) I would be willing to listen. Oh yeah, the vocals have to go.

Track Listing:
1. Dialogue With The Sun (White Lions Rising)
2. Black Ashen Aurora
3. Le Perdu De Novembre
4. Ascension To Cyrsed Waters
5. Sulla Soglia Dell'Eternita
6. Sons Of Ice
7. The Inaccessible Door

Added: March 9th 2012
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1973
Language: english

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