Illimitable Dolor – Leaden Light

Band: Illimitable Dolor
Title: Laden Light
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Release Date: 20 March 2019
Country: Australia
Format Reviewed: High quality digital promo

Last week the Australians ILLIMITABLE DOLOR released their second full-length album “Leaden Light”. It comes two years after their debut self-titled album. When I began researching for ILLIMITABLE DOLOR, the interesting information I found was that the first album was recorded as a three piece band in 2014/15. Now the band grew to six-piece to record their brand new offering.

With exactly 51 minutes and 51 seconds total running time, “Leaden Light” contains five long enough tracks, perfectly matching the atmospheric doom (predominantly) where the band digs in. Naturally death-doom and funeral doom elements appear in the overall mix, with tiny mid 90s gothic doom nuances.

When I decided to listen and review the record, I was honestly expecting a desperation complete soaked in sorrowful mourn feeling, covered with everlasting tears. Surprise, surprise! Actually “Leaden light” is much more “light” album, with more sweet melancholy  that actually insists that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. There are more majestic motifs, more head turned to the sky, more glory. The colors the music draws are much brighter in comparison to the typical atmospheric doom or funeral doom albums.

All the above clearly demonstrated even on the artwork, and much more integrated, continued and developed in the tracks: like the opener “Armed He Brings The Dawn” and “Horse Pale and Four”. “Soil She Bears” and my favourite “Leaden Light Her Coils” are more melancholic, more into the golden autumn sunlight and autumn crayon colors. Yes, the overall tempo of the record is slow, but the guitar melodies and gently swirls, kindly leads into more peaceful and serene soundscapes. The band claims they it has been influenced by the likes of Scepticism, Thergothon, Evoken, My Dying Bride, but I really felt the openess of the music, a sweet positive vibe somewhere in those riffs and solos and gothic melancholy. The vocals are the typical growls and really add heaviness to the music. Soundwise “Leaden Light” is full of layers and rich, clear, refined and loud enough sound. Something which agains speaks to me about the very good endeavour of the band for this album, but metaphorically – again for the direction of not being on the desperate, depressive, hopeless funeral path.

With “Leaden Light” ILLIMITABLE DOLOR offer another read on the atmospheric doom books. The album will be liked by all the atmospheric doom, death doom or funeral doom fanatics, which are looking to experience some a bit different, deeper, emotional and engaging in a more positive way. 7.5/10 Count Vlad

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