Doomster Dirge, while most of you are most likely unfamiliar with them, have been one of my favorite bands for awhile now, and pretty much the only French band besides Gojira that I have been following. I first discovered them around 2008 on YouTube and went from there, and I eventually managed to get my hands on their 3rd release, ominously titled And Shall The Sky Descend.

Dirge are an atmospheric sludge metal/"postcore" (I hate that term) band from France. I'm pretty sure I just heard you all looking at the "atmospheric sludge metal" tag and sighing "Oh great, Neurosis clone number 1028." Well, that's not the case here. While some Neurosis/Isis clones can pull it off well (Mouth of The Architect comes to mind), others fail miserably. However, Dirge are something unique and special in the genre. While obviously taking influence from the masters of the genre such as Neurosis, Isis, and Cult of Luna, Dirge manage to triumphantly craft something that will not be passed off as another Neurosis clone.

I started my journey with And Shall The Sky Descend, their third effort, and the subject of my review. Out of all of Dirge's albums, And Shall the Sky Descend is arguably their most heavy, claustrophobic and hypnotic. The music, like all post metal bands, heavily relies on ambience and atmosphere to spice things up a bit. While clean parts are more prominent, metalheads will still be satisfied by the heavy dirges (pun is intended) conjured up by the band, especially in the case of the guitars and drums. There are only four long pieces on And Shall The Sky Descend, each quite lengthy - the shortest song here is just shy of the 12 minute mark, while the longest is a massive 24 minutes in total. The album as a whole is 73 minutes.

From what I have gathered by studying the lyrics, And Shall The Sky Descend follows the story of a group of apocalypse survivors (though the album can be reviewed in a number of ways, depending on the listener). Apparently, a biblical rapture is about to unfold. Through the story, Dirge takes your human emotions - grief, fear, sadness, and happiness, mainly - and manipulates them into an entirely different beast, as well as the "character's". The title track, "And Shall The Sky Descend" is a representation of the fallout and the end of everything as well as a rejuvenation. The first half of "The Birdies Wheel" is a reconcilation, so to speak, while during the final 8 minutes or so the story begins to move. "The Endless", despite it's 18 minute length, is a preperation for the final ending to the story. "Glaring Light" wraps the album up with force, in which everything is finally wiped out for good. The female singing during the last 3 minutes sooths the listener into a trance, as if Dirge wants you to feel safe when the end comes, and that when you die it will only be the beginning to a whole new chapter.

The vocals on this album are interesting, to say the least. They range from an anguished shout which sounds akin to Scott Kelly's harsh vocals from Neurosis, to backing vocals, a deep, accented throaty growl. At first, I found the aforomentioned backing vocals slighty annoying, but I eventually grew to like them alot, as they are essential to the atmosphere on the album. The bass guitar is deep, audible, and onimous, such as in the track "Glaring Light" which honestly has one of the better basslines I've heard in awhile. The drums are crushingly heavy, and crushingly slow, as well as the guitars, which provide a more doom metallish tinge to them than other post-metal bands.

It is sad that Dirge do not get as much recognition as they should, because they are a truly talented and motivated bunch, and of course make highly enjoyable music. While the band did not reach their peak until their following masterpiece Wings of Lead Over Dormant Seas, this album is still absolutely essential, and an excellent addition to any post-metal fans collection. Grab your coat, wallet, and keys and go out and buy this CD.