Review: Mizmor Continue the Existential Journey on Prosaic
On Prosaic, the upcoming studio effort from Mizmor, the doomy, blackened, all-things-heavy-and-slow band continue their epic narrative with a really solid record.
Since the band’s inception back in 2012, project mastermind A.L.N. has been exploring the existential, and he does so once again on this record. It is both intimate and expansive, dark and light. At a little over 46 minutes in just four tracks, this new offering is not afraid to be deliberate and slow, yet each song manages to be memorable.
Truly every track on this album leans hard into that overarching aesthetic, as it’s clear this record isn’t about noodley riffing or going too far down any conceptual rabbit holes. Instead, it’s an album of angst and despair, fully leaning into the pain and suffering behind the creation.
A.L.N. stated that his goal with this album is to create an “intentionally less conceptual, more slice-of-life record,” something “less precious and obsessed-over, more honest and real, less grandiose and more human.” That vision really comes through on the album’s sole single, “No Place to Arrive,” as it channels primal screams and sludge riffs that strip back the pretense and channel raw experience.
This record is definitely meant be listened as a single continuous piece, rather than a record that has stand-out tracks or singles. Things kick off with “Only An Expanse,” which, as the name suggests, truly builds up in sound and tempo before exploding with angst and anger.
The single track comes next, and then “Anything But” carries on the narrative with more doomy riffs, anguished vocals, and spaced out, trippy tempo changes. “Acceptance,” the final track, leaves the listener with the feeling that, while everything is certainly not going to be OK, we’ve done some work through this record and expelled some inner demons.
As with the rest of Mizmor’s work, this album is not going to appeal to those who only want straightforward, thrashy metal, and it’s not going to be your go-to soundtrack for getting pumped up at the gym. But if you’re looking for an introspective record to inspire you while you create or to be the soundtrack to a long walk in nature, this is the perfect fit.
Mizmor’s Prosaic comes out July 21 via Profound Lore Records. Preorder your copy today.
