The Blackness Within displays quite a diverse array of interlocking atmospheres, much like the previous ones but with a more concise, transparent composure, while still allowing itself a lot of room for experimentation. It captivates the listener and sends them on a journey through a multitude of sinister landscapes, in which obscure, dissonant drones scatter about dark grey skies, but occasionally pale sunlight breaks through fine cracks in the cloud cover. If one listens more closely, certain passages, parts of the bass drum pattern in “The Years I’ll Endure with the Weight of Guilt on My Shoulders”, for instance, seem to be hidden citations of other artists’ work – I’ll let you guess what it is though. 😉
All in all a truly brilliant album and an absolutely logical continuation of the spirit of the last two opuses.
