renkls
Ritualistic, lo-fi atmospheric black metal is Oaks of Bethel's game, and they play it for 133 continuous minutes on this single track suite. As well as using static to wrap a veil of mystery around the spoken word vocals, there are subtle melodic tones delivered by keyboard that play under the repetitive, crunchy black guitar chords and hollowed out drum patterns.
The track is most interesting when it melds between sections, dropping out of the repetitive drum patterns in the form of large bridges where the guitar can speak in the foreground of the mix.
This is merely an average composition, given that repetitive atmospheric black metal isn't easy to pull off as a genre, let alone for 133 continuous minutes - but as a positive I never felt like turning it off. I wonder what that says about how I choose to spend my time.
Can be heard at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzpfb59uxLc