Info
- Band(s): Dune Mear
- Label(s): Grime Stone Records
- Release Format(s): Cassette
- Release Year: 2022
- Review Date: August 23, 2024
- Author(s): Rob Clark
Dune Mear, a haunting blizzard raging across a barren tundra, hits the mark with their 2022 release ‘Crucifix Wound’. This USBM (U.S. Black Metal) full length tears open with incredibly raw distortion and immense hatred that can be felt from the first note. This album is an unrelenting force – savage trem riffs, hollow dead drums and wretched vocals, perpetuating an unbearable coldness that lasts to the very end.
You know a Black Metal album is going to be good when the mixing is so blown out the cacophonous riffs can only be understood through the piercing harmonic leads. That is ‘Crucifix Wound’. Despite its abrasive nature, Dune Mear creates a tapestry of Transylvanic emotions through the vocals and riffs. From fury to melancholy, the album doesn’t settle to express one singular darkened sentiment.
For example on the track ‘Sigil of Animus’ you can feel the vocals descend into sadness and desperation, contrasting ‘His Castles Shadow,’ where the voice becomes a booming and crushing force. This album finds a nice balance between absolute brutality and artistic intention.
This can be further shown with the synth-only tracks on the album. Creating a dungeonesque atmosphere between songs, Dune Mear changes the landscape of the music from the typical satanic imagery of Black Metal. This is not Hell. ‘Crucifix Wound’ exists in a land dominated by malevolent forces, where the vocals serve as vessel channeling the horrors that inhabit this cursed domain.
Grime Stone Records
- Country: USA
- Style: Black Metal, Other
- Links: Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
