Time Lurker - Time Lurker

TIME LURKER - Time Lurker (LADLO Productions CD 2017)

Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions released couple of new CDs recently and yet again I'm happy to have a chance to check them out. First there's Time Lurker, French one man project, coming up with the first full length album. I usually have small anticipation for such newcomers. Blame my scepticism for that, but it always has to prevail in cases like this. But I have to admit that Time Lurker music is not bad at all and it gave me a pleasant time, when I was playing the album. And I did play it a lot, I have to say. Time Lurker is not a revolutionary or exceptional band, the music is nowhere even close to become a timeless classic (at least it doesn't feel like to happen for me), but it's enjoyable and a good listen for sure. Style wise it's sort of atmospheric black metal, with that strong modern / post BM influence, which puts Time Lurker in certain box immediately. It sounds good though, I can hear some splendid moments here and that guy behind Time Lurker surely has a talent for this sort of music. 

I suppose that some listeners may feel disturbed by small monotony, which appears in this album. These songs may sometimes sound one dimensional a bit, but on the other hand Time Lurker has these fantastic moments and songs, which let you forget about any faults. Instrumental passages – as so often in that post (black) metal genre – sound almost hypnotizing and I have great weakness for them. The atmosphere, which bands like Time Lurker create in the instrumental parts, especially when the music is calmer and more melancholic, is the best for sure. Here I can for example distinguish "Reborn", with its very emotional and quiet sound that later is going to be suddenly broke with the sheer violence and ferocity of "No Way Out From Mankind". This would also be my exact description for the whole record: a mixture of mesmerizing, dissonant riffage, melancholic and atmospheric patterns, with a bit of sick harmonies here and there and with insanely fast, vicious black metal, spiced with almost possessed, maniacal screams.  And as such, TIme Lurker definitely fits label like LADLO perfectly, as they share a lot of similarities with other bands from this label like Paramnesia, Deluge or Regarde les Hommes Tomber. 

My favourite part is "Rupture" - very lengthy, close to 12 minutes, track, which is also a perfect representative for the whole album, as it has everything what characterize Time Lurker. It's almost like a great sonic voyage, where that post metal feeling and instrumentation is the strongest and the riffs in it are especially fascinating. It's very memorable and catchy song somehow, even with its black metal aesthetics like these panic screams. But with careful listen I can spot that basically every song sounds fantastic, "Judgement" or "Reborn" are another good songs… The whole album is about 50 minutes long, but when specific conditions are set, this can be truly fascinating listen.  

Standout tracks: "Reborn", "Rupture" 

Final rate: 70/100