Here at Noizze, we loved Vnder A Crvmbling Moon’s debut, I: Oblivion back in May last year. Less than a year later, they’re treating us to album two in the form of II: Aging & Formless, that promises to take everything we loved about that first album and expand on it.
Their heady blend of sludge, post metal, black metal and more is just as potent as ever, ‘Nomad’ a sprawling, nine-minute opus of an opener that fades into view with fizzing amps before slowly unfurling, winding across its opening minutes. The most immediate comparison is perhaps Cult Of Luna in the way that the guitars swirl and the drums beat at a mid-paced stomp. Vocally, it’s cavernous with Ray Arrell’s vocals a guttural, commanding presence.
Nobody should truly be surprised that Vnder A Crvmbling Moon are so heavy, or so good; with members of underground stars Conjurer and Garganjua amongst others, they know their way round a lumbering riff, as the seven tracks of II: Aging & Formless attest to. After its behemoth opener is the equally crushing ‘Nocturnal Passenger’, a lumbering beast of a track that once more focuses on overpowering atmosphere and suffocating the listener beneath its sonic weight.
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They certainly don’t stray far from the sonic pastures of I: Oblivion, but rather refine it while placing more emphasis on the duality between ambient atmospherics and plunging into the crushing, infernal depths. In fact, the biggest surprise of the album is perhaps that they do actually know their way around a shorter song; ‘Procession’ is incredibly lean, hitting just shy of the three and a half minute mark. Sure, it’s actually an interlude, but one that’s well-constructed, focusing on their penchant for ambience with pulsating synths brought to the fore, evoking grand vistas as a respite from the crumbling deep.
As a follow-up, ‘Breach the Sky’ is particularly apt as its fiery ascendant opening aims for just that. Lyrically painting a bleak picture of being trapped in your own mind and haunted by past actions, it engulfs the listener in morose leads and harrowing cries, never truly settling. The seesawing riffs are bludgeoning, with the drums even threatening to pick up the pace a few times as it becomes more urgent and frantic in the attempt to escape one’s own haunted mind. There’s a particularly emotional synth swell around two thirds in that’s arresting and cathartic while the guitars swirl under.
At nearly an hour long, II: Aging & Formless expects a lot of your time but well worth the investment; closer ‘Bury Me with the Fallen Trees’ alone encompasses a vast array of moods from furious denial, to yearning for something lost. Again, none of this is truly unexpected given the pedigree of the members involved, but it’s no less rewarding or astonishing to hear a relatively young band hitting their stride so emphatically, particularly on their second album in two years. Vnder A Crvmbling Moon have a serious case for being the UK post metal scene’s best kept secret.