Every once in a blue moon I receive the joy of finding an artist that completely changes the boundaries that the many genres of the heavy metal world previously laid. Bereft have successfully molded together influences of Funeral Doom, Black Metal, and post-Metal in their latest release, Lands (Prosthetic). The Madison, Wisconsin, natives put four blistering tracks together that will warp your soul for forty-five minutes. Whether you like your metal fast and mosh-worthy or slow and heavy, Bereft brings it for just about every kind of metal-head.

The opener, ‘We Wept’, really sets the tone for what to expect on the track that follows. Starting off slow, sludgy, and aggressive, the track gradually builds upon itself until it spews into a section of Black Metal with tremolo guitar riffs and thunderous blast beats. The song comes to a screeching halt as the Doom side comes back out and ends on an epic, but melancholy, ending.

The next two tracks, ‘The Ritual’ and ‘In Filth’ are the shorter of the four songs, but each still comes in just shy of nine minutes. Each song expands from the opener, with blistering Black Metal passages that build off of slow, uphill Doom riffs. The final track, ‘Waining Light’, starts off with an opening riff that is equally creepy yet mysterious. Coming in at around fourteen and a half minutes, this closer is the longest on all of Lands and certainly my favorite. Even after the journey that the album takes you on is long over, the closing riff will stay with you.

Something about this album really resonated with me, more than most other albums this year. Perhaps it was the progression of the songs from their post-Metal influences or the fuzzy Doom riffs that kept my head slowly bobbing. Either way, Bereft has left a lasting impression on me with their sophomore release, Lands, that I am sure will carry through the rest of this year and onward.

8.5/10

TIM LEDIN