Nontinuum's first demo, Dwelling In Oceans, was a rather average piece of Australian depressive black metal. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. Two years later, the band finally released its full-length debut, The Stars You Gathered, The Stars I Destroyed. After listening to it, let me tell you that Nontinuum is a completely different beast. They are Austere 2.0.
The biggest improvement is the production. No longer is it horribly muffled. It's now as clear as a cloudless night sky in the countryside. This also means the bass is much more prominent in the mix, slowly plodding away with menace and malice in its heart. Not only has the production improved, but the drums have improved has well. I don't know if he got a new drum machine or if he just got more skilled with the one from the demo or if he even got a physical kit, but the drums on this album are much more structured and complex when compared to the simple and minimalist performance on Dwelling In Oceans. They are now capable of faster rhythms, blast beats, and even some intricate and invigorating fills, the best of which can be seen on “Waiting With You”.
The guitars still play your standard mid-paced melancholic riffs, but they also play a whole bunch of riffs that have a great deal of groove, some of which can be seen on the first song. The wondrous, melodic guitar tone is still there, and thanks to the cleaner production, its beauty can be heard much more clearly. They also do a great deal of post-rock work, as can be seen on “Loss”, and they even perform this amazing solo at the end of “The Gatherer”. The vocals on the demo consisted of an agonized wail. He's obviously been practicing, because they are now an angry rasp that sort of remind me of Varggoth from Nokturnal Mortum. He's also been practicing his clean vocals, as they now sound a lot like Fen, their most prominent performance being on “Waiting With You”.
I was wrong to doubt Nontinuum's abilities. They've created one of the best depressive black metal albums I've heard since To Lay Like Old Ashes. It's beautiful and powerful. It's melancholic yet triumphant. It truly is an unforgettable black metal experience.
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