Twilight - Monument to Time End

Release Date: April 27th, 2010
Label: Southern Lord Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Cryptic Ascension
2.  Fall Behind Eternity
3.  8,000 Years
4.  Red Fields
5.  Convulsions in Wells of Fever
6.  Decaying Observer
7.  The Catastrophe Exhibition
8.  Negative Signal Omega

April 15, 2010

Reviewer: Matt

In 2005 when “suicidal black metal” was peaking in the US, several of the style’s major players - Wrest of Leviathan, Malefic of Xasthur, Blake Judd of Nachtmystium, Imperial of Krieg, and Hildolf of Draugar - came together in the supergroup Twilight.  Their eponymous debut was remarkably unspectacular, a largely disorganized mess that never came together into an identifiable style and signaled that that particular incarnation of USBM had run its course. 

Five years later the new fad is post- and indie rock influenced black metal, and Twilight is back with a revamped lineup to capitalize on this latest trend.  With Malefic and Hildolf out and Aaron Turner (Isis), Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Minsk), and Stavros Giannopolous (The Altas Moth) on board for an album released on Southern Lord Records, it would be easy to be cynical and write off Monument to Time End as cash grab.

The thing is, Monument to Time End is an unqualified success.

Put aside all preconceptions about black metal, because aside from the vocals and scattered blast beats there’s little in common with that genre.  The new iteration of Twilight clearly shows the influence of its new members, as Monument to Time End is essentially an epic sludge record dripping in sinister atmosphere and embellished by psychedelic flourishes.  Where Twilight’s debut failed because the whole was merely a sum of its parts, Monument to Time End succeeds by forging a cohesive hybrid of the various styles represented by the individual band members.

The backbone of the new Twilight is the Neurosis/Isis style of progressive sludge, and as mentioned above, the influence of the new band members is pronounced, particularly that of Aaron Turner, with those trademark crescendo/decrescendos and that gritty swagger forming the core of Twilight’s presentation.  Monument to Time End is thick with massive, swampy riffs, but it transitions smoothly into melancholy shoegazings and rocking psychedelia.  Clean vocals make regular appearances in the background, as do proggy keyboard noodlings, though Imperial’s menacing hardcore-ish scream and the alternating soothing and battering guitar licks dominate.  A surprising highlight is Wrest’s drumming, which brings to mind Paul Ledney’s for it’s uncanny ability to create drama and build tension by utilizing the space between hits.  While at times the songs come across as merely mish-mashes of various unrelated riffs, it works well for a style whose sine qua non is sharply contrasting sections colliding with one another, and Twilight have perfected their aesthetic to such an extent that the differentiation doesn’t present as randomness.    

Five years ago I was indifferent to whether Twilight came together to record another album, but my tune has changed completely with this effort.  Monument to Time End is the pinnacle of what the style has to offer, a skillful fusion of the dreamlike familiarity of post-rock and the apocalyptic fury of black metal that turned out to be my biggest surprise of the year thus far.  Here’s hoping the same lineup can come back with another winner.

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