Downfall Of Nur offers no hope.
Although the Argentina-based project led by Antonio Sanna (Ysyry Mollvün, formerly of Drowned in November) had been dormant for ten years, it reawakened in 2026 in partnership with AvantGarde Music to release And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth, its second album.
The album begins very calmly with Disamistade I, a mysterious opening track featuring a rather hazy vocal sample, then takes on a solemn tone as bells ring over ethereal keyboards, eventually leading into Beyond the Transcendent Darkness and its crystalline sounds that suddenly darken, revealing imposing and majestic Black Metal roots. The intensity is both oppressive and reassuring, particularly thanks to the wandering choirs and folk influences that precede the arrival of heavier sections and the drums, while screams haunt the atmosphere; yet the mix ignites a second time and becomes even more virulent, invoking piercing leads within this dark veil. The curtain parts slightly, allowing softer tones to emerge from the chaos, but the darkness is stronger, and it keeps gaining ground, whether through screams or blast beats, before suddenly fading away, letting us catch our breath as we move into Disamistade II, which serves as an intoxicating interlude with a more joyful tone than its predecessor, yet retains that intriguing vocal style. A Post-Rock touch slowly settles in, then Underground Halls of the Oldest Goddess’s Stronghold weaves its unsettling atmosphere before the veil of oppression resurfaces to envelop us and seize us by the throat, placing its dissonance and its sounds both heavy and hypnotic between two waves of tranquility. Noteworthy is a grandiose finale where the vocals diversify, then the musician once again lets us catch our breath with The Great Escape, a new, ethereal interlude where we let ourselves be lulled by these cosmic sounds for four minutes before returning to the intensity of And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth, a much heavier title track where the drums offer a touch of catchy originality before returning to their natural flow, where riffs and growls blend skillfully. The track flows naturally, carrying our minds along with it, but it passes relatively quickly compared to similar tracks, and leads us into Deliverance, the final composition, which begins rather heavily with keyboards, leaving us in the unknown in a drone-like manner while incorporating massive, abrasive textures or, conversely, short, more refined passages over the course of more than twenty minutes.
If you’re not familiar with Downfall of Nur, expect an extraordinary sonic adventure with And the Firmament Will Burn to Quench the Pain of This Earth. The album may seem extremely long, but it flows naturally like a dark river, winding its way between violence and darkness.
90/100
