LP Review: "The Darkness At The Edge of Dawn" by The Howling Void

The Darkness At The Edge of Dawn

In my youth, there were many small bodies of water. None of them were particularly large, at least not the ones I stood in front of.

Certainly, then and today, there's the Mississippi River, but we stay away from its banks. From an early age, we're taught to fear and respect the Mighty Mississip.

Lakes, streams, and creeks though...there were a great many.

For some reason even in my elder years, I cannot seem to refrain from tossing stones into the water. Seeing the rings forming in the water really make me feel wonderful.

There's something about rings and circles that mesmerize me. It's plausible that this just came from my childhood days of skipping stones in the water.

Today's album features great gobs of swirls and circles.

Musically speaking, James Marshall Hendrix, god himself, is the one that taught me about the musical beauty of circles via his Uni Vibe Vibrato pedal.

Like Hendrix's The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Howling Void is a solo project, the difference being Ryan Wilson being the only person on record.

The credits include: Ryan Wilson.

Being doom metal, we're given long, open ended songs featuring long, open ended chords.

There's never any attempt to dazzle the listener with thoroughly impressive riffing or blasting of the beats. In fact, there are barely any riffs on this entire record, and if there were no drums, one would have to wonder if it would even feel any different?

From front to back, The Darkness At The Edge of Dawn is all about feeling, not about musicianship. The guitars, keys, and yes, drums are all there to further the feeling along.

Where does it come from?

I'm not really sure as even the vocals don't create the aura. It just is.

Release: 12/18/17
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Avantgarde Music
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