Review: The Great Sea – The Noble Art Of Desolation

The Great Sea, a side-project of Janosch Rathmer (Long Distance Calling), lets its debut album “Noble Art of Desolation” drift in like fog over a broken shore. The Great Sea seeks to merge atmospheric black metal with elemental themes, i.e. ice, ruin, memory. It is not flawless, but there’s a quiet gravitas here: a yearning for something lost, wrapped in riffs that scrape like frost.

There is ambition in this duo’s intent. Both musician approach black metal from a place of texture and atmosphere rather than raw tradition. The music unfolds with the restraint of survivors, not warriors. Melodies whisper rather than shout; vocals shift with guest contributors, lending variety but also a certain disjointedness across tracks.

The opener, “The Water Remains”, builds from delicate percussion into somber riffing. The energy crescendos with a heaviness that lingers, though the transition sags under uneven mixing, letting the rhythm guitar often recede behind pounding drums. “Eden Unfolded” channels melancholic melodic dissonance, heightened by clean vocals that feel haunted but never quite fully integrated.

“The Maze” and “No Peace Among Men” stand as high points. Here, the music finds traction – melodic progression, weight, and atmosphere coalesce into something near-epic. Yet, their impact is diluted by mid-album doldrums.

Production is mixed. On one hand, clarity permits ambient textures to breathe; on the other, the low-end mix occasionally buries melody beneath atmosphere. The vocal diversity keeps monotony at bay, but the disparity between guest voices undermines cohesion. The album’s conceptual aspirations in evoking cold landscapes and human fragility shine intermittently through this haze.

In essence, “Noble Art of Desolation” is a committed debut, with flashes of melodic black metal brilliance and narrative ambition. It feels like a journal scratched into frost rather than a banner raised in battle. For those drawn to introspective atmosphere, its sincerity and occasional grandeur will resonate.