Published: April 12, 2018 

Yesterday, Hypnotic Dirge released the second album by None. The label describes them as a “two-piece Depressive Black Metal entity from the Pacific Northwest.” Digging a bit further reveals that they are in fact from the northwestern USA (to avoid confusion since the label itself is from Canada). And that is literally all we’ve been able to uncover, as “none” also accurately describes how much of an online presence this band maintains.

But that’s fine: it doesn’t require any background information to be able to listen to something and appreciate it. So without any further extraneous introductory remarks, let’s jump straight to the music. 

The cheerily-epithetted Life Has Gone On Long Enough consists of seven tracks, of which (surprisingly enough) only two include the word “Dead” in their titles. Interpolating intermittent bits of ambient synth stuff and sparsely plunked piano notes before, between, and during the more metallic segments, the music conveys a rather bleak and joyless mood. But neither does it come across as angry, or — to be honest — even sad, much of the time. The subdued drums and mildly distorted guitar — as well as the heavily reverbed, harshly rasped vocals — all hint at a blackened style. But everything here seems slightly out of focus, just a bit fuzzy, and (especially in relation to typical black metal) rather lethargic.

Essentially, this is listening to a black metal album on a cassette player whose batteries are slowly wearing out, after swallowing a handful of barbiturates. Forty-six-plus minutes of sheer catharsis, that gradually breaks down into nothingness. Ask your doctor if None is right for you. May cause drowsiness or dizziness, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how None affects you.