The Flashcards: Bleak Transcendence

The Flashcards: Bleak Transcendence - Mortuanima (2025)

70/100

Genre: Funeral doom/death metal

The Brazilian death/doom metal unit Bleak Transcendence emerged and successfully released their debut last year in 2025. Overall, I only found myself liking the organ synths and violins that accompany each track, even though they heavily lean into an eerie, horror-like awkwardness; meanwhile, the dynamics of the primary instruments and vocals mostly just serve as headbanging fuel, so the combination of the two results in a head nod done in mock lamentation. However, "Half-hearted"—which ironically should have described my own half-heartedness and perhaps a need to pretend to accept this album—instead transforms into a truly heartfelt track, where all instruments and vocals come together to form the most emotionally spot-on offering.

I can finally finish my commentary for this album after putting it off for some time out of confusion over what to say. Mortuanima seems much better suited for die-hard fans of death/doom metal like My Dying Bride.

Tracklist:

1. Unrelenting Stillness

2. A Lifetime of Memories

3. Mortuanima

4. Darkening the Spheres

5. Half-hearted

6. Emanating from Devastation

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