By: Thomas Gonzales
Album Type: Full
Length
Date Released: 10/07/2020
Label: Dark
Descent Records
“Dimensions” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Strange Nebula
2. Beings
3. Portraits
4. Cauldron of Souls
5. Shrine of Revelation
6. Monolith Abyssal Dimensions
The Review:
It
is not often that I am faced with an expired deadline for a review, but, then
again, I am also not often relegated to self-imposed quarantine, and social
distancing. The last few months have been bizarre to say the least, and while
the music industry is far less effected than film, the impacts of COVID-19
cannot be easily ignored. “Dimensions” dropped right at the same
time I began preparations to return to work; and for me, Lantern’s latest release, “Dimensions”,
was an album deserving of far more than a cursory glance, or half-assed
write-up. It is a multilayered effort, deserving of an in-depth vivisection to
really analyze each substratum of its composition.
While
the actual review portion of the release was heavily procrastinated on, I found
myself regularly putting “Dimensions” on play throughout my
isolation; there is an explicit atmosphere Lantern communicates with their writing; often bleak
and weighty, but the energy is intoxicating. Whether I was doing the dishes,
cleaning, or combatting the pandemic with new “COVID Safe Practices” in the
workplace, I could find time to enjoy “Dimensions” in my daily
life.
Influenced
by death, horror, and the occult, their inspiration from the mysterious and
macabre, ooze out between their screeching melodies, and thrashing riffs, like
a creeping and cognizant ooze of malevolence. It isn’t lighthearted by any
means, as showcased in it’s beautiful album cover by Timo Kokko, but as others
have said, they are a light in the darkness of Black Metal. It could be the
melodic sensibilities in their song writing, or the distinctive vocal work of
member Necrophilos; but where you often find chaos in the genre, Lantern breathes a sort of life
and order into their exploration of death. Formed in 2007, the current line-up
featuring Cruciatus, J. Poussu, St. Belial, and the aforementioned Necrophilos
may be their finest effort yet and would not be surprising to see on many year
end lists.
Hailing
from the fetid womb of our Metal Motherland, Finland, Lantern leads their listeners on a
dark journey through the underworld, like Kharon, the ferryman of the River
Styx. It is no less dark or depraved than other bands in Black Metal, but there
is an almost Alighieri-an poetry, meets Lovecraft nature to their vision.
Musically, you can expect a diverse amalgamation of brutality and melody,
dusting a metaphorical soundscape of storms and skeletons. At the end of the day, I am happy to be
writing again, and I am glad it was Lantern – “Dimensions” that
kicked things back into gear. There is a level of despondence that takes over,
when the rush of everyday life stops, and it was art that kept me going in
those dark times.
“Dimensions”
is available HERE
