Depressive Black Metal: AnyMourn - Death Suffered by Melancholia (2024)

6 / 100

AnyMourn’s demo captures the aesthetics of lo-fi black metal but lacks the emotional weight and atmosphere expected from depressive black metal.

Metal music is always associated with the core combination of drums, guitars, and bass—but there’s a downside to these components if they’re not executed properly, even though in black metal this is often intentional. It also becomes its own challenge for independent groups limited by factors such as recording facilities and equipment, especially in Indonesia. AnyMourn is one of those projects operating with low production and a low profile.

It’s not very clear where AnyMourn actually comes from, but the output is extremely minimal and raw for depressive black metal. Ardin’s slow drum hits sound distant, coming from who-knows-where, while Widya and Agra’s vocals truly sound like they’re singing inside an empty, forgotten house at the edge of a neighborhood. And of course, the most prominent element is the rough, sluggish guitar strumming.

I don’t think it feels depressive enough nor particularly haunting—just slow in a funeral doom kind of way. What’s most needed is improvement in the recording, even if this is a black metal demo that is naturally meant to be very bare-bones and rough. If you want to try AnyMourn, just go straight to the EP Dreaming Some Beautiful Moments.

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