After the dissolution of FERAL LIGHT, frontman and songwriter A.S. wasted no time in channeling his artistic flair into a new project, UNSOULING. Their 2024 debut, “Vampiric Spiritual Drain,” laid the foundation for a new stylistic approach that is now fully realized on “Outward Streams of Devotional Woe,” the band’s sophomore release, once again graced with a stunning cover art by Luciana Nedelea.
“The album differs from its predecessor in that the meandering exploration of ‘Vampiric Spiritual Drain’ has been replaced with a more sure-footed and focused journey,” A.S. explains. “The anchor of black metal with its bleed into gothic, dark wave, and death metal influences is still very much present, but it is more reigned in and pointed.”
In terms of the themes covered, UNSOULING remain faithful to the poetics of their debut, but, if possible, accentuate its existentialist vein. The entirety of “Outward Streams Of Devotional Woe” is based on loss, grief, and a longing to bring back connection via spiritual or even metaphysical reach, and how this can bring great comfort.
FFO: Sacramentum, Grave, Morgion, Feral Light
