Saturnine Italians Shores Of Null celebrate their first year together with the release of a debut wrought with much of the same free-spirited experimentation at the core of Opeth’s pre-Still Life era.
The promise stirring amid the gloomy introduction of 0x0000 is satisfied by Kings Of Null, a song that bursts into life with a dual-guitar gallop sure to satiate anyone who mourns for the aforementioned Swedes’ earlier material, its pace given depth by the kind of cosmically irradiated riffing that Katatonia use to such stirring effect.
The unique voices that distinguish those bands are something that SON have yet to fully find within themselves, though.They also have some compositional kinks in need of refinement, as with the awkward, lumpen bridge in Souls Of The Abyss that they thankfully redeem rapidly with the glowing riff and storm of double bass that follows.
Ultimately, at the heart of this dynamic and emotionally engaging journey through textured riffs, guttural reproach and grave vocal harmonies is a desire for exploration that bestows Quiescence with real vibrancy and thrilling potential.