text: Dawid Krosnia
Coldborn
Lingering Voidwards
Final Sacrifice Records
December 1st, 2016
This year has been very fruitful with black metal releases, especially a lot of debut albums from newly formed bands and projects. Coldborn is the one-man project which appears to be created by a very talented multi-instrumentalist Belgian-born, Norgaath. Those who follow Nightbringer will recognise him as the band’s new bass player. Norgaath is also involved in a couple of less known projects like Grimfaug and Striid.
Lingering Voidwards was released at the beginning of December by Final Sacrifice Records. This album seems to be the first release they’ve ever done and they don’t have any other bands in their roster so I guess that the Final Sacrifice Records is owned by Norgaath himself. If I’m wrong, let me know. Interesting fact is that Coldborn was officially formed almost a decade ago, no demos, EPs or singles that were officially released before the debut album. I assume that the material for the Lingering Voidwards was carefully crafted over the years and Norgaath finally made a decision about presenting his work to the world. I’m very pleased about that because the Lingering Voidwards is one of the eeriest and the most haunted albums I’ve heard in a long time.
The Call of Death’s Clarion is the first song and the longest one on the album. The track begins with dark and soothing intro which instantly transforms your emotions and prepares you for the darkness extravaganza. Superbly arranged musical composition with all the best what black metal can offer. After hearing this song I knew that this guy knows how to play good music and he knows how to install the coldness inside you. In the Absence of Light, Death Gazes is fast. The coldness of the riffs spreads the icy webs around your heart, chocking you to death with its freezing yet orgasmic feeling. The atmosphere of this song has full control over your mind, ever changing tempos dictating if you’re going to live or die. It’s time to slow down again as In Solitude offers melancholic and depressing vibes in the first part of the song but the solitude is disturbed once again with elements of fast and freezing fury that could bring the dead back to life. The title song’s intention is to bring you back to your senses, the softness of this production will remind you about the lonely, isolating, sad and secluded world we live in. Withered is a superb ending to what you’ve experienced when listening to the previous tracks on that album. We are all going to fall into decay, today or tomorrow. It will happen. That will only depend on you if you take matter in your own hands or you let the world destroy you.
Lingering Voidwards reminded me how emotionally wrecked I am. Each time I listen to this record it gives me time for reflections and leaves me emotionally drained. I think by recording this album, Norgaath had those intentions in his mind, ruin as many lives as possible or maybe just bring back the sadness in people’s lives and stop pretending that we’re all one happy family. This album is not just for the depressive black metal fans, this album covers all possible sub-genres of the dark art. Check it out for yourself! Let the Coldborn death take over yourself…
THE GOAT TAVERN 