Livimørket - Dark Totality [DEMO] (2009)

From what information I can gather, Dark Totality is the 2nd demo of a UK black/ambient project known as Livimørket. There is but one individual handling all the writing/instruments, and a single track, "Dark Totality" which is nearly 40 minutes in length.

Naturally, the key to a demo like this is its ability to draw you in and immerse you, which Livimørket does possess. The first 12 minutes consist of haunting tones that hover behind the sounds of wind and rain. After this, a distant and depressive torrent of atmospheric black metal which is almost as much a part of the troubled landscape as the rain itself. Very subtle shifts in notation construct a hypnotic, suicidal effect below the tormented, howling vocals. There are breaks in the 'action' which create a tranquil dementia just as void. For all the straightforward simplicity of its structure, "Dark Totality" does concoct a complex pattern of starkweather emotions and grey acceptance to the nothingness that awaits.

I will sum this up by saying this is one of the more intriguing demos I've heard from the pile lately, and any fan of bleak, lo-fi ambient/black crossover would be wise to spin it while he or she firmly fastens the noose.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

www.myspace.com/livimorket