Victory Over The Sun - Nowherer

The apple you should eat.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on June 19th 2021)

They say looks can be deceiving, and few albums embody that expression more than Victory Over the Sun’s Nowherer. Its soothing and relaxed cover art brings to mind indie and post-rock, rather than the dissonant black metal that is actually presented here. The album’s contrasting aesthetics piqued my interest, prompting me to write this review.
Band mastermind Vivian Tylińska defines her music as “Transcendental Black Metal”, which admittedly raised quite a few red flags originally, making me think that Nowherer would be similar to the hipster garbage Liturgy peddles. I’m glad to have been proven wrong. The music on offer brings to mind Deathspell Omega’s post- Reqvires output more than anything else, with abrasive clanging guitars and a roaring bass clashing against each other. That being said the music isn’t a rip-off, seeing as Vivian makes great use of breaks between some of the harsher moments throughout the album, giving the listener some breathing room while still maintaining tension.

What truly takes the cake is the final track of the album, “Oscines”. It’s a 20 minute behemoth which is at the end of the album and takes up more than half its runtime. Ending an album like that is an extremely bold choice and it can succeed just as easily as it can fall flat on its face (see “Mortem” off Anatomia’s Corporeal Torment). Thankfully, “Oscines” is a triumphant success. Throughout its duration, it flows flawlessly from lowkey spoken word passages to the harsh riffing seen earlier, with all that culminating in a stunning shoegaze-y section near the final few minutes of the song. It’s an excellent way to end the album and it’s what cemented it as one of my favourite releases of the year so far.
The production here is also top-notch, with all the instruments sounding crisp and full, especially the bass, which has its place alongside the guitars without overwhelming them at any point. The mixing is great as well, with everything being perfectly audible at all times, allowing us to enjoy the full breadth of the songs and appreciate the finer details in them.

The lyrics are a mixed bag, not because they’re poorly written, but because of their extremely esoteric nature. Vivian writes abstract poetry that is quite difficult to make sense of, and any reader could get something entirely different out of them. Based on my far from expert analysis, they seem to be dealing in themes of transcendence, love and death, which, admittedly fit quite well with the music itself, their only drawback being how esoteric they are. Their delivery is quite good, with Vivian using a mix of raspy growls and screams, as well as the aforementioned spoken word, which make the lyrics feel much more visceral.
While this album is all around fantastic, I’ve but one nitpick to make, that being about the second track, “God Howling in a Cage”. Its position immediately after the title track feels a bit clunky, and I feel that it would’ve served the album better if it was placed right before “Oscines”, giving the listener a little breathing room before the second half kicks in. It’s not bad by any means, being a relaxed piece with some slightly dissonant undertones, but it has sadly been misplaced, and as a result breaks the flow of the album a little.

Nowherer is avant-garde excellence. Its abrasiveness is only matched by the tranquillity it offers. It’s one of my favourite finds this year, and I cannot help but recommend it to fans of the style. Not only has it been my introduction to the band, it has also managed to become one of my album of the year frontrunners. To say that I’m looking forward to a new release in the future is an understatement.

Highlights: Nowherer, Oscines

Rating: 90%

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