Dawn of Ouroboros – Velvet Incandescence
Release Date: 21st April 2023
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Post Black Metal, Blackened Progressive Metal.
FFO: Cailleach Calling, Gaerea, Uada.
Review By: Andy Spoon
In 2022, I had completed a review of an interesting ambient black metal project called Cailleach Calling, where I notedly appreciated the vocal dynamic offered by Chelsea Murphy, whose high register scream hit the rooftops in the best ways. Murphy and Cailleach Calling’s guitarist, Tony Thomas, have got back into the studio for a second project, Dawn of Ouroboros, for the purpose of releasing the band’s 2023 LP, Velvet Incandescence, available on April 21st, 2023 from Prosthetic records.
Initially, I thought that the whole album was going to be a major deviation from Caillech Calling’s general sound, but it seems to follow much of the same pattern on many of the tracks. That is to say, many of the tracks are started with an interlude of beautiful post-black melodies played at half-time until around the one-minute mark. Only then, does the track devolve into a distinctly heavy black metal block. It’s definitely not in the style of Cailleach Calling, but seems to be a “cousin” of the same sound, minus the extreme atmospheric effects.
In fact, the engineering relies on the “bringing forward” of Murphy’s vocals, which balance between the high screeches of the blackened sound, with clean alto-esque vocals that augment the striking, but minimalist chord patterns, sometimes only having two or three chords for 4–5 minutes at a time. The main difference is the production and “in your face” track density, especially on the heavier segments. The vocals are featured, rather than merely rhythmic, as compared to the “purer” atmospheric black metal tone. This is something which firmly roots Dawn of Ouroboros’ sound in its own soil.
As I had mentioned in the previous paragraph, the crystal clear vocal delivery is what makes the entire presence of Murphy’s tone such a boon to the value of Velvet Incandescence. It’s like the whipped topping on the dessert. We clearly expect to have a sharp, static-like product, but the breaks that move into the cleaned-up, “pretty” voice. Murphy’s tone is polished, tonally-stable, and well-mastered. Many harsh vocalists’ clean ranges are plagued by the inability to produce a solid clean delivery without sounding like a high school garage band. I would easily put Murphy’s range between Chaney Crabb, Tatiana Shmaluk, and Courtney Laplante’s range, which is a compliment of the highest order. I have no doubt that Murphy’s unique black metal tone mixed with her cleans makes her a shoo-in for membership in that crowd of talented vocalists.
Overall, this is a good listen for fans of black metal, post metal, metalcore, and progressive black metal. I think that Dawn of Ouroboros is either the basis for Cailleach Calling, or vice versa, having the other as a distant relative. That being said, listening to both is a must if you are a fan of either, as it feels like a continuation. I do think that by today’s contemporary standard, Dawn of Ouroboros is going to reach a wider audience, having the commercially-polished sound that is expected these days. I was impressed by the dynamic sound which ends up pervading each track. With a blackened post-metal sound, radioactive vocals, and a signature sound which never switches up (for the better), Dawn of Ouroboros’ most recent release Velvet Incandescence is an above-average offering that ought to be cherished by fans of melodic blackened music. 
(3 / 5)
