ONE WITH THE RIVERBED – Succumb

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7.0

From Michigan arrive, uncertain and suffering like the latest presidential polls in that state, One With The Riverbed, born in 2017 in Kalamazoo and now authors of “Succumb” (Dusktone), the second important step in recording which follows the debut by almost three years long distance of “Absence”.
The band's musical direction has always been faithful, since the beginning, to the canons of a post-black metal with atmospheric, at times even melodramatic tones: even the new album does not try, at least in its first part, to deviate from the path traced by “Absence”, preferring the actual quality of the songs to the new ones; think in this regard of the single “Infested”, opened with a furious scream resting on a captivating texture of electric guitars (in an approach similar to that of Harakiri For The Sky) to mark the pace of the band, as it already did in the previous one work the successful “Thaw”.
The quintet shows that it knows how to work with care and dedication the material from which its music begins: thus, the majestic American black metal of Wolves In The Throne Room of “Resolute”, and the love for melancholic interludes that animates Panopticon in “Purified” (for those who write about it, if not the most successful song of the lot, certainly the most intriguing one, with the elegant changes of mood dictated by the rhythm section), certainly do not go unnoticed.
One With The Riverbed don't even hide the admiration they feel for Deafheaven and Ghost Bath, whose poignant romanticism pervades “Adaptation” and insinuates itself into the elegant arpeggiated breaks that break up a pressing “Dominion” and its reiterated riff; let's be clear, the five are honest in showing the stylistic tracks along which they move, but after thirty minutes their game becomes a bit predictable.
In this context, the trio of songs that occupy the second part of the album is surprising because, although they do not propose disorienting changes of direction, they raise the stakes and length, to show the listener the band's ability to manage to move along the boundaries of the traditional structure of a song and beyond, letting the ferocity that initially distinguishes the pieces become contaminated until it fades away; this happens through the use of calm psychedelic tones (“Erode”) and long shoegaze passages (“Burden” and the final “Sunlight”, capable of returning to the black features in a sudden twist only to then fade away).
“Succumb” is therefore a well-finished and certainly pleasant album, which however still lacks that little bit of personality necessary to stand out within the large post-black metal scene which is inspired by the same musicians whose footsteps One With The Riverbed follows .
While waiting for any evolutions hinted at by pieces like “Burden” or “Purified”, lovers of this genre will still be able to obtain various satisfactions in listening.