Post Luctum - Forced To Watch You Wither

I've been following Post Luctum for a minute now but haven't reviewed them yet. I picked a good time to do so because “Forced To Watch You Wither” is the one man band's best album yet. This is the third full-length album from the moniker, in addition to also having four EPs.

The mastermind behind the project, Ian Goetchius, knows exactly what goes into a great doom metal album and how to pull on the heartstrings as well. Doom is, of course, a dour genre but it's also one of vivid beauty, in its own way. 

“Forced To Watch You Wither,” I believe captures that beauty. There's so much darkness in the world, in life itself. What better way to experience it than to face it head on? For in fighting the darkest battles, a person reveals the light within.

So yes,there can be beauty within the deepest voids. And this album is one of the deepest I've experienced this year but also most rewarding.

The growls and screams are harrowing, often times sending shivers through my body. Their stark embrace is both brutal and commanding, the vocal representation that music like this deserves. 

Although rooted in several genres, such as death metal, the music is melodic and Gothic as well. There is something to be said of melodic music that uses growls. There is also something to be said of slow music that lives with the shadow of Gothic’s embrace. This album lives within all of these elements.

Each song is a different shade of black, each casting out shadows that reach across the veil between life and death. It's touch, presented through suffocating tones and bleak harmonies, is both an icy one yet one that craves a way out into the world.

What it means for the listener, and what it means to me, is an album that is rich and deep as much as it is heavy and macabre. 

One of the best elements of the album is just how many details it has, both subtle and large. The seven songs glide by in about 55 minutes—and they beg to be played over and over to discover the treasures.

The atmosphere washes over the senses with an a flow that is uncommon for music this emotionally pained and abrasive.

Each instrument in each song is like the piece of a puzzle. It's fun hearing this puzzle be built from moment to moment, song to song, until finally the album stands revealed.

It all begins with “Interment.” The lead guitar is simple but powerful, casting tendrils of melancholy that linger in sullen thoughts just long enough for the mind to wander onto the next part.

The growls burrow their way into the meat of the song, becoming the core from which it all resonates. 

The clean notes in the middle provide a bridge between the song's halves yet the tones are just as sincere and sad, offering no respite. The clawing screams are extremely potent afterwards, seending the song towards its climax as the guitars and bass twist within turmoil.

“Winds of Chance,” is like a cold breeze hitting you hard on a freezing day. I love the texture created by the subtle use of keys. The clean keys provide a nice contrast against the growls although they work wonders together.

The melodies push the atmosphere further down to the next deep cave of endless torment. The usage of clean, funeral like tones in the later half to build the song back up to sweltering guitar and screams is nothing short of compelling.

“Descending From Joy,” is about as raw as a doom song can become and a definite highlight for me. It embraces a slow tempo so we'll, the melodies cresting against the rocks that are the riffs and vocals. 

This one sounds like it's the end of time, it's all crashing down but in that lies in the morbid hope that nothing will ever matter again, future pain against the soul has been spared.

The title track ends the album and even though it's slow, the trepidation and nervous energy builds up in a frighting way. 

The keys throw out finality, a certain acceptance of what is and never will be. The vocals are emotive—a chilling performance that made my own throat feel raw and I wasn't even trying to “sing” along.

The tempo kicks up after the six minute mark just enough to give the song one final push through the lightless tunnel.

Post Luctum's “Forced To Watch You Wither” represents everything I could ever want in a doom album. It also represents a band/project cementing it's place in the annals of the genre and showing exactly what it's capable of. A powerful, engaging album that speaks volumes.