Livløs strikes back with And Then There Were None, its second album.
Created in 2014 in Denmark, the band composed of Franz Posch (guitar), Søren Frambo (bass), Kenneth Breinbjerg (guitar) and Thomas Dannemand (drums) replaces its former singer after an album. Niklas Lykke (vocals) joins the band, which releases And Then There Were None in 2021, illustrated by Mariusz Lewandowski (Bell Witch, Abigail Williams, Eremit, Jupiterian…).
Aggressiveness reigns supreme since And Then There Were None, the first track. We clearly feel the band’s Old School influences, hiding some technicality embellished by bloody melodies and airy sonorities which are perfectly integrated to this raw basis, like Serpentine Supremacy and its dark groove. We easily recognize the band’s roots on this song, which places surgical harmonics and hooking patterns on the same level than raw howlings, like the haunting Mortal Severance. The sound is weighing and more and more unhealthy than on the previous songs, allowing musicians to exploit heavier tones coupled to sharp melodies, which gives a more and more soaring and majestic output. Elements chain to each other while making us nod, from the solid rhythmic to motivating howlings and jerky leads, then the band allows us a break with Kistefjael, a short instrumental. Restful melodies give birth to saturation on Drenched In Turmoil, a piercing track that exploits as much dissonance as the different forms of violence the band can develop. Whether the first part of the cong melts fastness with strength, the tempo slowly decreases to offer a crushing final, but Seize the Night immediately reconnects with an energetic sound by developing Heavy influences into leads. We also notice a mysterious melody that spawns over a quieter moment, then Gallows melts a heady dissonance with Melodic Death Metal’s hooking groove. The sound sometimes slows down, but furor surface again, just like on The Purest Black, the last song. Heaviness accelerates to create an interesting contrast into those suffocating darkness, that will eventually die with a scream.
With its Melodic Death Metal that includes many influences, Livløs is able to produce an as raw as fascinating sound. And Then There Were None offers a majestic blackness, sharp riffs and a weighing sound, which are melted under an aggressive and ruthless banner.
90/100
