PALE MISERY - Black Starless Sky (Review)

Written by: The Administrator 

Look. This one came out a while ago and I am extremely and unfashionably late. There's no time nor reason for a meandering introduction: we're dealing with a bayou blastbeats recommendation featuring some sick as fuck cover art. Which is, frankly, already a winning combination in my book. Let's get into it, shall we?

On the five-track Black Starless Sky, Lafayette, Louisiana's own Pale Misery play a unique brand of second wave black metal that revels in doomy dourness. Sonically speaking, this release does feel quite dismal and dreary compared to their 2019 EP Black Candles and Gutter Scum, which was generally more crusty, more explosive, more outwardly incendiary. In contrast, the tracks lurking herein center an overwhelming ominous gloom that melds with the harsher elements, lending the entire package a notably dark and caliginous aura. I wouldn't consider this "atmospheric" per se, but they have certainly done well to establish an atmosphere. This is depressing stuff, as morose as plumbing a decrepit well and finding nothing but the reflection of the titular black starless sky.

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While they can certainly rip and tear when the occasion calls for it, Pale Misery are never afraid to slooooow things down to an ominous crawl. This is clear early on, as opener "The Age of Night" gets pretty damn murky with a delightfully slow-burning midsection. "Days of Wraith" perhaps exemplifies the general air of hopelessness best--despite firing things off with a blackened bite, the back half is languid and almost slothful when it comes to forward momentum. In terms of mirroring a depressive episode, it is...quite accurate. The excellent closing track "Thirst for Holy Blood" utilizes a similar structure, with his constant contrast between the morose atmosphere and the more outwardly aggressive and raucous moments making for surprisingly varied listening experience.

For such intense and emotionally wrought music, Black Starless Sky sounds really damn good--it consistently gives the impression of a murky environment without relying on production that makes you wonder if your ears have been filled with mud. Pale Misery manage to find common ground between sharp second wave intensity and the sheer weight of the doomier riffs. The guitar is thick, the drums are punchy, and the blackened vocals are raw and vicious without ever feeling out of place in the mire.

Pale Misery absolutely nailed the depressive tone on this one. I'm a complete sucker for the heartfelt integration of doom and gloom, and the execution here is simply superb. Months after first giving it a listen, this remains of the most compelling black(ened) metal projects that I have heard this year. In short: Black Starless Sky ranks very high on my personal heap of favorite 2024 EPs, and comes, as ye might expect, very highly recommended.

​Pale Misery - Black Starless Sky was released May 28th, 2024 via Liminal Dread Productions. Find it here!

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Pale Misery can be found:
Bandcamp