Warthur Atmospheric black metal bands of nature-loving anarchists from the USA aren't just limited to Wolves In the Throne Room - Falls of Rauros have also been plying their craft for quite some time, and The Light That Dwells In Rotten Wood is a masterful work. The album largely rests on the three longer pieces, with shorter folk-influenced interstitials acting as pallete-cleansers. With mild post-rock influences in its compositional approach, this is a credible entry to the stable of atmospheric black metal albums hailing from the USA; I don't think it hits any major creative breakthrough, but it's a good listen and a solid release in this particular style.

adg211288 The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood is the third studio effort to be released by United States’ Falls of Rauros. The six track, forty-three minute album was released in 2011. The group plays black metal with some minor touches of folk. The tracks are split into two distinct groups. Three and long black metal pieces while three are much shorter non-metal pieces that serve as an intro, interlude and outro respectively.

The three metal tracks are obviously the main focus here, but the opening Earth's Old Timid Grace does an excellent job of getting the album off. A light and melodic instrumental, as it gets nearing its end it starts containing hints of the black metal onslaught that is going to follow with Banished. Well, I say onslaught, the music certainly has the key elements of black metal, but there are some small folk touches to parts of the group’s music, and I dare say a little bit of a post-rock influence as well, though not to the extremes of an act such as Fen. Use of acoustics is commonplace in Falls of Rauros compositions, and I like that, because they do it extremely effectively.

Awaiting the Fire or Flood That Awakes It and Silence is are the other two metal tracks. Like Banished they are long track. Long tracks in black metal can sometimes be an issue for me, after all take the key elements of the style that Falls of Rauros are showcasing on The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood; black metal styled riffs, and typical black metal rasps. Give me tracks over ten minutes in length just like that and I’m like to find a boredom fest. But Falls of Rauros don’t do that, they go beyond to create something more polished, though this still has a somewhat raw like quality to the heavy side of the music, but it’ also more complex than much black metal, though it may take a few listens to really discover just how much depth the record really has. I especially like the way they do actually break away from the usual methods for this sort of black metal and make a point of including some lead guitar that is very prominent in the mix that it’s impossible to not recognise it as a solo as opposed to the melodic leads that are heard in the lighter side to the band’s music. Overall the resulting atmosphere is nothing short of extraordinary.

The lighter pieces are also really good additions to the overall experience. The aforementioned Earth's Old Timid Grace is great for the way it uses melody to draw you in to thinking that The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood is going to be an entirely laidback affair before moving seamlessly into Banished and the later lighter pieces also work really well within the larger context with the short Nonesuch River Chant proving a decent interlude and the closing The Cormorants Shiver on Their Rocks being just right to close off the album in a similar fashion to the way it began. There are some lighter sections in the metal tracks as well, but not so much as to leave one in doubt about the true nature of this release. The use of acoustic guitars throughout only improves upon the quality of the compositions when they shift things up a gear into the metal.

The balance is done just right between the two distinct sides of Falls of Rauros’ music here and that is why The Light that Dwells in Rotten Wood stands as one of the year’s finest black metal releases. This is an album that you just need to immerse yourself in and enjoy and I imagine that fans of the likes of Fen and artists like them will find something to enjoy here.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.2/10)

Vehemency The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood belongs to the many albums of contemporary black metal on which nature and atmosphere are in the main focus, and where influences are gathered from a wider spectrum that just the usual Burzums, meaning that one may find big doses of experimental song progressions and professional musicianship instead of purely primitive hammering into a scruffy four-track. Black/folk metal names like Shroud of Despondency, Wolves in the Throne Room, Agalloch, Fen, Wodensthrone, October Falls and Alcest are easy to drop in regard to Falls of Rauros’ third full-length that is very similar in spirit and overall aesthetics.

That said, one can spot the post-rock qualities right in the beginning of the album as ”Earth’s Old Timid Grave” kicks in with richly detailed acoustic guitars, developing heavier with the inclusion of reverberating, Red Sparowes esque electric guitars. ”Banished” and ”Awaiting the Fire of Flood That Awakes It” are responsible for the most of the album’s metal, running for almost 25 minutes together, providing relatively ’complex’ and versatile compositions yet never forgetting the importance of emotion and natural flow. On the latter of the two, I can’t help but to compare its lead melody pattern to Disillusion’s Back to Times of Splendor. ”Nonesuch River Chant” is a brief acoustic interlude after which ”Silence” begins, the last metal piece of the album, and it’s as well done as the previous ones. Fittingly, ”The Cormorants Shiver on Their Rocks” concludes the album in grandiose melodies that comprise e.g. pianos and chanting male vocals in the background.

Undoubtedly, The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood wasn’t an easy record to concieve as it sounds so very well done in all aspects, including the natural yet rich production. The riffs are all full of emotion, not to forget the convincingly delivered screams. The record’s only proper fault resides in its unsurprising style that ultimately brings nothing new to the table. Everything is epic as hell and so be it, it works after all, but I’m left with a feeling of wanting to hear something more daring and original from an album that ends up being very close to its influences. If you haven’t got enough of albums in this vein, please do check out The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood because it is indeed very well done. Those who are already replete with their The Malediction Fields and Diadem of 12 Stars might not spot anything outstandingly refreshing here.