(written by Islander)
In February of this year Hypnotic Dirge Records released a new album named Antipole by the Canadian death/doom metal band Norilsk. Originally a duo consisting of Nic Miquelon and Nick Richer, the band had expanded by then to include guitarists Tom Hansen and Matt MacIvor, who joined in 2016 and 2017 respectively. But Antipole was the first album to be recorded by all four members, after extensive rehearsals and work among them on the arrangements.
The results of this collaboration, as captured on Antipole, really represent a significant step forward for the band (every band says that about each new release, but in this case it’s really true). The music isn’t conventional death/doom by any means, but encompasses intriguing and surprising stylistic interplays and contrasts.
Moreover, the music’s changing shades of light and dark, of beauty and tragedy, of granitic weight and ethereal evanescence, reflect its thematic interests (sometimes rooted in literature) in expressing duality. As an example of this, today we have a compelling lyric video for a very compelling song off Antipode called “La Fonte“. Continue reading »