Much like San Francisco sonic kin Deafheaven, Australian band Loss of Self adds a glazed veneer to the black metal found on its debut EP, Twelve Minutes. Released by the always interesting label The Flenser, Twelve Minutes includes remastered tracks from Loss of Self’s first demo, and sets dense black metal snarls around post-punk swings and psychedelic surges.
Loss of Self mixes light and dark with shoegaze and gothic rock appearing on tracks such as “Paradise Overgrown” and “There Must Be Great Wisdom With Great Death”. “Isolt” and “The Free Intelligence” meld searing second-wave black metal screeds to post-rock, and throughout, feedback, tremolo frenzies, blast-beaten barrages and harsh vocals balance sonic chaos with melodic contrast and moments of searching composure. Twelve Minutes shows real promise. Loss of Self might not be providing anything new here as such, but if the band continues to refine its blending of genres it might well strike a point of real difference. Certainly, Twelve Minutes shows the band is on the right path.