The duo Luminous Vault amalgamates industrial - and black metal on their debut album Animate the Emptiness. Clean yet sinister riffs soar above a steadfast rhythm of drum machines. Ever plodding onward Luminous Vault digs into the alienation of industrial society with an urban atmosphere.
Whereas black metal usually resides in a cosmic realm, here the riffs aided by at times ethereal synthesizers feel more self-contained. With its industrial tinge the music evokes an enclosed space of artificiality and loneliness without falling into pessimism, not unlike the wistful emotional depths of say Alcest.
Its strongest tracks feel driven by an ineffable faith instead, like on “Regeneration” which tightly executes the formula. The albums ends with its highlight “Ancient North”, where the drum machine’s claps and delicate synthesizer melodies tame the rugged guitars and vocals in at times sublime contrast.
At other times the angular feel of their ponderous rhythms falls flat. The precisely timed guitars and ditto aggressive vocals never stray too far from their initial dull paths on “Divine Transduction”. When they trade sharpness for abrasiveness and without drum machine trickery like restless hi-hats the imaginative realm gets closed off.
Still Luminous Vault unearths poignant renditions of its diverse genres often enough to reveal their potential.
Rating: Worth a Listen