Band:	Sorrow Plagues
Album:	Sorrow Plagues
Style:	Post-rock, Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	February 2016

01. Fade
02. Aspirations
03. Awaken
04. Twilight
05. Surrender
06. Redemption

Sorrow Plagues is the one-man project of British musician David Lovejoy, a talented and skillful young man, who most likely has a great career ahead of him. The multi-instrumentalist begun this project in 2014, and after releasing several EPs and singles, finally released Sorrow Plagues's self-titled debut in early 2016. A wonderful debut by pretty much any and all standards, this album delivers close to 40 minutes of a symphonic, wall-of-sound-type atmospheric black metal mixed with post-rock and shoegaze and is sure to appeal to most - if not all - fans of the genre who give it a chance.

Listening to the music on Sorrow Plagues feels like floating in the middle of the ocean during a rainstorm; it is a cathartic, purifying experience, both emotionally devastating and uplifting. Those who like to hear epic film score-like melodies mixed with black metal are sure to love this album, though be warned: the metal elements take a backseat to the synth-heavy, ethereal soundscapes. The strongest and most impressive element on the album is - rather surprisingly - not the soundscape or the atmosphere, but the guitar solos. Lovejoy sure can shred a guitar and it is a bit of a shame that the symphonic noise, lovely as it may be, is so overwhelming that the solos are a bit hard to hear.

This is a very impressive debut album, but it is not perfect. It lacks variation, for example; many of the songs sound too similar and even multiple listens don't change that much. Also, the music is surely too saccharine and, for lack of a better word, sentimental for many. If you're looking for a journey into darkness, this album won't take you there. However, to use the ocean analogy once more, Sorrow Plagues will keep you afloat in the sea until your darkness and anguish are washed away and replaced by the serenity that can only be found by experiencing a truly wonderful piece of music.