J-Man American black metal act Shroud of Despondency really blew me away with 2011's Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion, and just under a year later, the band has already created their next black metal opus. Entitled Pine, this observation once again shows Rory Heikkila and company exploring the realms of bleak, nature-inspired black metal, but this time around their approach is slightly more eclectic. Whereas Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion mainly saw the group dabbling in folky black metal territory, this album offers a more one-of-a-kind mix of black metal, death metal, folk, progressive rock, doom metal, and post rock of the utmost quality. Pine is a very successful album in my eyes that, while still maintaining all the great things about Shroud of Despondency's previous efforts, shows a distinct evolution in the group's music.

Of course, the Shroud of Despondency's core sound is still rooted in folk-influenced black metal, but I think the more eclectic approach on Pine gives the band a totally unique identity. Whilst the variety of styles explored throughout this 58 minute album may initially seem incoherent, well-written songwriting ties the various ideas together quite nicely. The lovely "Unchaining of an Animal", for example, sounds like something that could've easily been off of a record from The Decemberists, and it serves as a refreshing change of pace from the lethal extreme metal of the rest of the CD. This, along with other ventures into prog and folk territory, are really what makes Shroud of Despondency's music so powerful, and I find myself constantly engaged throughout Pine's entire duration.

Initially I was a bit disappointed by this album, but after a few listens Pine really began to grow on me - now I actually consider this to be a small step above Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion, which certainly is no small feat. If there's one band in the American black metal underground worth your attention, it may very well be Shroud of Despondency. This is top-notch stuff, and anyone with a desire for some folky, forward-thinking black metal owes it to themselves to check out Pine.

J-Man Despite being released a few months after Dark Meditations In Monastic Seclusion, Objective: Isolation was actually recorded in 2009 and then shelved during the initial mixing. Mastermind Rory Heikkila created this entire effort by himself, and the project was unfortunately delayed by the formation of Shroud of Despondency's current lineup. Thankfully, the band decided to self-release Objective: Isolation a few years later - definitely a smart move on their part; the material here is far too good to just sit around forever. Dark Meditations In Monastic Seclusion from early 2011 still remains one of my favorites from the entire year, so when I received my promotional e-mail for Objective: Isolation, you can bet that I was excited as hell. The band's knack for creating harsh black metal music that's still eclectic and beautiful really struck a chord with me, so I was quite eager to hear Objective: Isolation. As it turns out, this album is significantly different from Dark Meditations In Monastic Seclusion from nearly every perspective, but it's still almost as excellent. Fans of Shroud of Despondency should definitely check this one out... just don't expect anything like what you heard on the last album!

Whereas Dark Meditations In Monastic Seclusion was focused on folk influences and beautiful acoustic passages matched with harsh black metal music, Objective: Isolation is an experimental black metal album with much more focus on weird and dissonant compositions and progressive instrumental sections. The inclusion of synthesizers, weird sampling of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" (yes, you read that correctly), and spoken word sections set this immediately apart from anything we're used to from recent Shroud of Despondency. Not that it's a bad thing, of course. Rory Heikkila still manages to create an album that is absolutely beautiful and horrifying in conviction, and the outro to "Incongruous" sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. The bleak lyrical topics are also very intriguing - the spoken word portions are horrifying, to say the least. Although I mentioned that this album is "more experimental" than Dark Meditations, it still does include a fair number of acoustic sections; just don't expect them to play a major role in the music.

Objective: Isolation is supposedly "un-mastered", but to the average listener, it's not an issue at all. The production is bleak, rough around the edges, yet still powerful and convincing. That's exactly how a black metal album in this vein should sound, in my opinion.

I can't say I enjoyed Objective: Isolation quite as much as Dark Meditations In Monastic Seclusion, but it's still a damn good effort that I've had a great time experiencing. Rory Heikkila is really a genius, and his ability to create such a unique release without the help of other musicians is remarkable. This album is creepy, experimental, weird, and still somehow beautiful. Maybe it's the contrast between melody and dissonance, or the contrast between heavy and light instrumentation - whatever the cause, Objective: Isolation is a chilling album that any black metal fan should greatly enjoy. I'd say this is yet another winner for Shroud of Despondency, and a 3.5 - 4 star rating is well-deserved.

Vehemency Shroud of Despondency has already been around since the end of last century but has always remained obscure, and I’m hoping that will change when their second album Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion gets some proper promotion, because the band is definitely worth of the attention of all those into black metal with largely progressive or experimental tendencies.

Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is one hell of a 57-minute ride through a plethora of influences I’m able to spot therein, from the acoustic folky beginning track ”Seeing One Last Ray of Light” and ”Flicker of the Ardent Light” that sound very close to Agalloch, to the fittingly named ”Sullen Murmur Oppressive Stillness” with its maniacal Shining influences. Not to forget all those Drudkh melodies on ”Sybil” with the ambience of Godspeed You! Black Emperor in the background... And what's best, the band sounds natural and plays without any technical gimmicks, despite the fact that these aren’t really simple songs, both compositionally and sound-wise.

The production is warm and it’s a pleasure to hear so detailed acoustic guitar sound, for instance. There’s only a few glitches I can mention of the album, like the clean vocal delivery of Michale Jurek that doesn’t always go so hand in hand with the beautiful music behind. Nothing to complain about the growls or screams, anyhow. Another thing that I could see slightly reducing the overall score of the album is the amount of influences it takes from other groups out there, perhaps lacking its own identity a little. But when it’s all performed so well, I don’t see this as a major problem.

Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is definitely worth checking out if you like compromises in your black metal - if black metal is a fitting genre for this at all. Even if not THE most impressive album of the year so far, remembering e.g. Fen’s Epoch, this album is a clear example of a record that proudly stands above the masses of mediocrity.

The Block Seeing one last ray of light…

I was pretty much about to give up on black metal, but then I listened to this album and I gained a whole new perspective on black metal. I still am not a huge fan, but this album has turned me onto, hopefully, a very good genre. Shroud of Despondency mixes heavy, dark riffs with long drawn out atmospheric chords to make this album very nice and soothing, while still being dark and dreary. In “Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion”, Shroud of Despondency makes great use of mixing different genres that include folk and a little bit of progressive to go along with black metal.

One thing that I still have a hard time getting over is the almost screamy vocals. In some of the acoustic songs such as “Flicker of the Ardent Light” and “Seeing One Last Ray of Light” the vocals are nowhere to be found and it adds up to a very enjoyable sound. The guitars are especially good on these tracks, showcased of course since it is all instrumental. These songs are the ones that you just want to sit down, close your eyes, and just imagine as you listen to them. They are so soft and smooth, contrasting sharply with the other songs a lot, but they still somehow blend and mix in. Shroud of Despondency also has some heavier songs, and even though they are very good instrumentally, the vocals detract just a little. My favorite of the heavier songs is the epic, rounding out at 12 minutes, “To Glisten In All the Colors of Distress”. It has superb drumming and guitar work to go along with the vocals. The vocals in this one really blend well with every thing, but on a level that makes it creepy and a little disturbing. But, that is the feel that I have come to expect from black metal, and this album delivers it seamlessly.

The production on this album is absolutely fantastic! It blends the darker, heavier side with the lighter side very well and gives the guitars quite a boost in most of the songs. The feel of this album is somewhat light at times, but also has its darker side.

Throughout this album I never once got bored. It stayed original and very good throughout, which is a huge plus to any album I listen to. The cover of this album says it all: dark, dreary, and very interesting. I recommend this to anyone, like me, who is hesitant about black metal; it will change your mind. For their very good release Shroud of Despondency gets 3.5 stars.

J-Man Some albums are perfect to listen to on a cold, rainy day - just turn off the lights, put on a good pair of headphones, and simply let the music immerse you. Shroud of Despondency's Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is one of those albums that is perfect to experience in the previous scenario. This is a bleak, dark, and beautiful album that will take many spins to understand, but it's ultimately a rewarding listen that toys with your emotions and keeps you coming back for more. This band manages to seamlessly blend acoustic folk music with raging, evil black metal - and the end result is nothing short of satisfying. This isn't a happy album - from what I've gathered from the lyrics, it's mostly focused on death, depression, and suicide, but it further expands on the unbeatable atmosphere that Shroud of Despondency has created here. If you want to hear top-notch black metal that still has a gentler side, Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is one of the most recommendable albums I can think of from the last 10 years.

The music on Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is an atmospheric mix of black metal and folk music, somewhat in the vein of Agalloch. There are also some more progressive touches that nod towards bands like Enslaved or Opeth. Songs like "Seeing One Last Ray of Light", "Sybil", or "Flicker of the Ardent Light" accentuate Shroud of Despondency's acoustic side, whereas songs like "Homo Homini Lupus" or "Sullen Murmur Oppressive Stillness" show their heavier sound. The variation between the hypnotic acoustic hymns and raging black metal fury is part of what makes Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion such an excellent album. Never once on this entire hour-long opus did I notice a "samey" feeling. This band manages to seamlessly blend angry and morose music, resulting in a bleak and depressing black metal masterpiece.

The production on Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is absolutely killer. It conveys Shroud of Despondency's heavier side perfectly while also sounding excellent when it comes to acoustic sections. This reminds me of a warm sounding 70's prog rock record, which of course is a good thing.

Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion is a stellar album by Shroud of Despondency that is sure to please people who aren't allergic to some prog and folk in their black metal. I must confess that I was completely blown away by Dark Meditations in Monastic Seclusion - this album is mandatory listening on a dark, rainy day. I will go with a big 4 star rating here, though I was tempted to go higher. Fans of atmospheric and, dare I say, "beautiful" black metal will definitely want to put this high on their wish list.