On paper, Sidera should be a towering achievement. The third full-length from Canadian band Miserere Luminis arrives cloaked in atmosphere and promising a dark descent into the band’s sorrow-soaked strain of post-black metal (let’s label it as such for the sake of argument). For the most part, it delivers, but not without moments where the ambition comes at the expense of cohesion.
From the outset, the album leans heavily into the melancholic and the patient. Slow piano phrases and distant guitar tremolo lines drift into focus before erupting into familiar waves of distortion and anguished vocals. Opener Les Fleurs D’exil establishes a tone of frozen introspection, beautifully orchestrated and immersive in the way it slowly develops. However, the restraint does occasionally becomes a bit of a double-edged sword. Several passages linger perhaps a little too long in their quietude, testing the listener’s engagement before the inevitable surge washes all remnants of fatigue away.
Fortunately, when Sidera finds its stride, it is a genuinely compelling listen. The band’s command of atmosphere is exceptional. The layering of piano, strings and swelling guitars, mixed together with the cavernous reverb create such a depth of sound you’ll be reaching for the lifejackets. It’s this sense of texture that elevates this album beyond others in the genre, the post-rock dynamics weave through the compositions, shimmering melodies and carefully paced crescendos giving the music a cinematic sweep. The drummer uses rhythmic tom-heavy sections throughout that give a tribal feel and the fierce, roaring vocals are blended into the mix in a way that allows them to become almost tectonic. When they’re are at their best it is absolutely astronomic in it’s depth and beauty…if you don’t believe me then just listen to the faultless ‘À La Douleur De L’aube’.
Yet Sidera is not flawless. A few of its longer movements blur together making it hard to differentiate between them. If you are hoping for sharp contrasts between tracks or more memorable melodic anchors then you may find the record drifting toward uniformity in its middle stretch. But, if you take this record as a whole, as one continuous composition, then it is something grand and immersive that you will inevitably find yourself returning to.
Miserere Luminis may not redefine the genre formula with this record, bands such as Harakiri For The Sky clearly went to the same finishing school, but it remains a powerful and deeply atmospheric listen that is more than worthy of your time!
Best Paired with – A meteor fragment and a positive outlook.
Reviewed by Bryn.
Miserere Luminis – Sidera is out now on Debemur Morti productions
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