It is not that unusual anymore that a (Black) Metal band uses violin or viola in its songs. But in this case it’s a violin player that formed a Black Metal project, i.e. a guy called Ecnerual. Under the Mourning Mist moniker, he recorded this self-titled six-track studio album, assisted by several colleagues amongst whom bass player Kvasir, known from e.g. Abhor, Spiritual, Profezia or Ancient Supremacy.
I think it’s rather evident that violins are very important for Mourning Mist’s sound. And indeed they are. That gets clear as from the very beginning of the album. The opening sequence, based on the sound of shore-waves, gets interrupted by eclectic guitars and, of course, distorted electric violin melodies, setting the tone for more occultism and obscurity to come. And those (electric) violins do play an important role all over the six-pieced long player.
In general, Mourning Mist sort of combines Doom-Death, Desolate Black and Doom-Gothic Metal with lots of classic elements and some grandiose and unique ideas. The sound and atmosphere are hypnotic, grim and energetic, with lots of interesting things to add. The tempo, for example, varies a lot. In general, this material is slow and doomy, up to mid-tempo, but more than once the whole accelerates (yet without being blasting). Besides, every track is enormously differing from each other, as well as ‘within’ that individual track. Not only the many changes in speed and structure are of importance. The band injects this Black Metal with, for example, totally weird sonic experiences, gypsy violin intermezzos, ethnic stuff, misanthropic Underground outbursts, avant-garde experiment and samples from Mother Nature. It’s like a chaotic experience, yet intelligently structured, or a well-composed creation professionally disturbed and disrupted.
The multi-layered structures have many things to hide, to reveal, and that’s quite a challenge for the listener. Even after a couple of listens you haven’t the idea to fully understand the intentions and thoughts lying underneath the coal-black, dusty surface. Imagine the likes of Italian colleagues à la Dawn Of A Dark Age or Ephel Duath joining forces with Sigh, and Mourning Mist might be some bastard offspring… You might like the innovation, or you will dislike the perturbing structures… I think it’s a remarkable result, this Mourning Mist-album, which deserves the listener’s attention!