Published: May 14, 2018

Aint that album title the truth? Well it must feel like that to everyone at some point and None as their name suggests have probably not got the best outlook on life and are here making music and at least, even if it is in a negative respect, doing something worthwhile before they shuffle off this mortal coil. Not that we have any inkling of who the band are, nothing more is known than when they released their debut ‘None’ back in 2017. They are allegedly a duo from Portland Oregon but let’s face it even that could be a misnomer. You get the impression they are unlikely to be from any part of the hipster scene there and work in complete and utter isolation, removed from it entirely. The disc itself and lovely artwork offers nothing more in the way of clues apart from the fact that the band may actually like something in life, namely nature but that is probably a case of in the hope that they can wander off into deep forests, get lost and eventually die of starvation or get eaten by a big bear or something. One thing is certain they do project a pine-scented image.

Musically they tread similar paths too and cop a load of song titles like ‘Bleak, Damp And Dead’ and ‘A World Dead And Grey’ yep this really is a case of happy, happy joy, joy! Misery can be beautiful though and as this instrumentally seeps in with slow, hypnotic melody one quickly gets that sense. Even when something is dead and rotting cannot the transference of flesh to dust be gorgeous to behold, especially as there is no more pain and suffering to go with it? Drums beat in on the second of the aforementioned track and vocals eventually join, anguished, indignant and suitably full of pain. Musically this kind of straddles genres of atmospheric doom and black with a sense of the suicidal amidst it all as it sorrowfully spreads its sadness around like a cloak of death. The singing is quite versatile here even with patches of cleanly yet still tortured verse and this adds to things and helps draw into the atmospheres, giving it all sense of humanity. I would have kind of liked the lyrics to read through but they are left to mystery very much like the band themselves. ‘Bed The Cold Earth’ as a title doesn’t need them I guess, but the suggestion is there that you should bring a spade.

The repetitive tones and the sorrowful melodies here really get under the skin, crawling like maggots over a body lost and abandoned a suicide that is not meant to be unearthed. It’s one for the depressive dreamers out there that’s for sure. Tracks like Hypoxic take oxygen in via some gorgeous acoustic tones before developing into fuzzy guitar and slow mournful beats with the vocals rasping with anguish in the background. Even the guitar lines aren’t afraid to show their emotion by weeping in sorrow. There is a lot more here to take in than the debut so you can really wallow in things comfortably as some DSBM trappings like deranged cackles, wails and coughs quietly mire with the melody you can really feel the pain amidst the musical delicacy. Listen carefully and there’s even the howl of wind adding to the sense of abandonment. Whether you are feeling cathartically enabled enough to continue with your life by the end is entirely up to you but there is dare I say an occasional feeling of being uplifted by the music especially on the title track which really builds to a shattering crescendo. Making it to the end will give you some reward courtesy of a cover of Burzum’s Illa Tiðandi but even that seemingly is left for you to know or work out its origins, which let’s face it you should anyway.

Lovers of mystery and misery, this is an album you could well do with in your life, no matter how fleeting and worthless it is.