▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Consecration ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Fragilium █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2019 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-10-19 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Solitude Productions ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ ôHave you ever danced with the devil in the pale █ █ moonlight?ö █ █ █ █ If you are reading this, there is high a chance █ █ you can understand the melancholy pleasure a █ █ person derives from using art, music, literature █ █ or film to draw out their sadness. There is █ █ something cathartic about sitting with your █ █ bleakest emotions, fuelling them with dark sounds █ █ or images and giving yourself over to the gloom. █ █ On Fragilium, Consecration are using their music █ █ to evoke a place of dank misery. In their own █ █ words; ôif you walk into the fenlands at sunset, █ █ leaving the last house at your back, you will █ █ follow a road that slowly dwindles to a footpath █ █ as the sky darkens and the shadows lengthen. With █ █ a cutting wind always in your face, bringing tears █ █ to your eyes, youÆll reach a place where the path █ █ finally peters out to nothing. There is no light █ █ but the stars, and the horizon is as empty and █ █ distant as it was many cold miles ago. The only █ █ discernible features of this desolate landscape █ █ are the gnarled, stunted, wind sculpted trees that █ █ skulk like warped spiders, poised to attack when █ █ you turn your back. ItÆs a place with no name but █ █ loneliness; where all the sorrows in the world █ █ gather to cry their laments to the endless sky.ö █ █ True to their description, Consecration have █ █ created something that shifts and lumbers, █ █ mournfully seeking an end to what appears to be a █ █ grim infinity. Their songs evoke a stark and █ █ desolate place. On opening track, In A Darkened █ █ Slumber, a cold, picked guitar conjures a murky █ █ expanse. It takes some acclimatising to; primarily █ █ because the arrangement is almost free form. █ █ Virtually directionless, there is little momentum █ █ here; just a slow drift that hangs in the fog █ █ before it segues into the equally amorphous, A █ █ Sentinel For The Fragile. █ █ A few minutes into this second track, and the band █ █ bring in their death metal influences. They █ █ maintain the slow pace, but crashing, distorted █ █ guitars and primal drums usher in the introduction █ █ of Daniel BollansÆ deep throated growl. █ █ At their heaviest, Consecration are actually a █ █ less effective band. ThereÆs something within the █ █ limitations of the production that robs the band █ █ of some weight. While their lo-fi approach does █ █ give Fragilium a gnarly edge, it also gives the █ █ music a degree of vulnerability. ThatÆs not to say █ █ there isnÆt something powerful in songs like In █ █ Somnus Ego Morior or An Elegy For The Departed but █ █ to my ears, the delivery occasionally sounds tired █ █ and stilted. To be fair, one could say this █ █ actually adds to the overall sense of eternal █ █ rootlessness. █ █ When the band revert to using space in their █ █ music, they are much more effective at drawing the █ █ listener in and away from the light. In these █ █ moments, with the band relying less on riffs and █ █ structured passages you might find yourself being █ █ slowly enveloped and held in the fog. █ █ ItÆs a lonely, disconcerting placeà but not █ █ without a certain appeal. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. In Darkened Slumber 7:26 ░ ░ 2. A Sentinel for the Fragile 11:06 ░ ░ 3. In Somnus Ego Morrior (In My Sleep I 12:54 ░ ░ Die) ░ ░ 4. An Elegy for the Departed 12:18 ░ ░ 5. To Welcome the Grey 12:16 ░ ░ 56:00 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░