Welcome to The Leaving.
For this debut album, simply titled The Leaving, vocalist Dany Tee (Los Males del Mundo, Acathexis, Nekryos), guitarist/bassist Kevin Storm (Heretoir, ex-Heidevolk, live for Gaerea, Kalmah, Outlaw, Shining…), guitarist Ferry Hofman (Endymaeria) and drummer Ed Warby (Areyon, ex-Gorefest, ex-Hail of Bullets…) have chosen the Personal Records roster.
The seven compositions on this album, totaling just over twenty-five minutes, are soberly numbered from I to VII, beginning slowly with heavy Doom/Death and massive vocals, but marked Black Metal influences quickly appear in the harmonics. The mix continues its haunting progression to reach II and adopt another form of melancholy that is more hazy, more dreamy, and almost Post-Metal-oriented, advancing at its usual slow pace to finally become thicker and more heady, relying on the vocals and leads to captivate us, reaching III and its dissonant touch a little too quickly. The vocals are simply impressive, reaching transcendent highs and cavernous growls as the rhythm gradually advances, but they run out of steam fairly quickly, giving way to IV and its persistent guitar, to which the other instruments are added for a short, intense piece. V serves as an interlude to let us catch our breath, offering only a few whispers accompanying a mysterious and distant sound, then VI returns to heavier and more enchanting tones, particularly on the guitar, while the rhythm and vocals assault us in their own way, oscillating once again between suffocating doom and visceral Black Metal. There is a slight drop in intensity towards the end, but finally, with VII, the band returns to its contrasting sounds, even offering a much more energetic passage on the double pedal that will sow chaos to mark the climax, then return to silence.
Although The Leaving is far too short for my eyes and ears, you can sense that the project has a lot of potential! The combination of musicians is perfect for making The Leaving a top-quality underground band.
80/100