I was initially very hesitant on checking out a, if I dare use that term, Cascadian extreme metal band because of how derivative the bands that ape the “Cascadian sound” have become, but was pleasantly surprised with Usnea who don’t overdo the crescendo-filled post-metal shtick. Not saying that there is no influence from post-metal or bands like Weakling, but there is a certain level of genuinity here.
Not having heard any of Usnea’s releases before, I sampled through their two previous full lengths. Based in Portland, Usnea is a blackened doom metal band with funeral doom and post-metal, and even a bit of stoner doom, thrown in. ‘Portals into Futility’ is Usnea’s third full length release, and it comes out on the 8th of September 2017.
There is always a balance between streamlining and consistency in experimentation that bands like to have – you don’t want to be too unidirectional, but you also don’t want to lose consistency. This is where I believe ‘Portals into Futility’ will have mixed opinion. Just from a view of taste, I cannot say I was completely awed by every section of the album. I’ve always enjoyed funeral doom approached from a death-doom perspective the most, so when I do identify them here, they end up being my favourite parts. There is also an interplay between deep growling and an almost screeching vocals and they juggle them in line with the style they are playing. The final track “A Crown of Desolation” also sees a gorgeous quieter section where cleaner vocals shine.
“Pyrrhic Victory” is surely my favourite track from the album. The track’s patient build up into the brooding and dark outro is one of the best sections of the album. There are no blatant black metal parts in the album like in ‘Random Cosmic Violence’, but the traces of the blackened atmosphere is ever-present. Sorrow-filled dreamy sequences provides an anti-weight contrast to the bottomless plunge of the intense funeral doom. The riffs are not necessarily memorable, but it is apparent that was never the intention. The focus is on “the dread and the drag and the drone”, and that shines in tracks like “Eidolons and the Increate” where the face-ripping death-doom drags the listener further deep into the black crevice.
[metalwani_content_ad]
Usnea’s doom metal is not in your face most of the time. There is an exploration of the hypnotism of funeral doom, and there is tender subtlety in the melodies. Imagine a lot more varied Ahab. ‘Portals Into Futility’ is not a perfect album, but there are several glimpses of interesting and engaging doom scattered across the 55-minute length. Personally, since I enjoyed the heavier drumming intense sections of the album the most, I would like to see them play around with that even more than what they’ve done on this album.