There are many bands called Hopeless, but this review deals with the Spanish one. It was (‘was’ and not ‘is’, because the project was put to rest in mean time) the solo-outfit of a guy called Lvciferrian aka S. Vrall, who formed this project during the second half of last decade. Now he continues with Aversion To Mankind, by the way. After some demos and a couple of EP’s, he recorded his sole full length, called Elements. It was released via Russia’s Kunsthauch.
The six tracks last for forty two minutes and bring enormously depressing Black Metal of the bleakest kind. Of course the tempo is of the slower kind; of course the vocals are icy, distant and tortured; of course the riffs are repetitive, melodic, melancholic and hypnotic; of course there are lots of hints from Funeral Doom at the one hand, and atmospheric Dark Ambient at the other; of course the production is foul and crude; of course the melodies are both emotional / introspective and self-destructive / suicidal; of course the atmosphere is mesmerizing, asphyxiating and ominous; … It means that this album has everything that can make the whole experience memorable. I know many projects that do not succeed to reach an acceptable level, despite good intentions. In Hopeless’ case, however, everything turns out to be sublime. The coherence in between all the ‘of course’s works like (dark) magic, and it’s written and performed with such grandeur!
The reason why S. Vrall did put this project to rest, and why he started Aversion To Mankind, had to do with situations that came across his life. What he was going through (damn, I sound like a psychologist and I’m not [my wife is…]) was a specific period in his life. I know it was not a happy era for him, but seen this sonic canalisation of his thoughts and emotions at that moment, I’m glad S. went through it in order to translate it via this album (and don’t tell him, but from egoistic perspective - the aural-satisfying way - I am disappointed he entered another stage).
Elements is one of the most fantastic unhappy albums I’ve heard in months, no, in years. I have nothing more to add.