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Like your shadow, no matter where you go, it’s there. The only problem is that you cannot identify who or what it is. Instead, it’s often easier to describe than properly identify; tugging sadness and crescendoing unease that create your own personal underbelly.

For the unfortunate souls who are picking up what’s being put down here, there is at least a subset of metal that brings this tortuous and confusing darkside into the perspective of the light of day. In the case of Portland’s NONE, a gentle approach is taken to understanding the extreme devastation that places a damper on our days until they are done. The project’s upcoming release Damp Chill of Life retains a nihilist ethos, but puts the gravity of meaninglessness to work through careful, creeping, and contemplative composition. Check out our exclusive stream of the album's harrowing fifth track "It’s Painless to Let Go" below.

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While many depressive artists shroud themselves through withered alter egos, NONE takes anonymity one step further by foregoing any form of identification, not even an initial. The Pacific Northwest’s great mystery placed last year’s full-length Life Has Gone On Long Enough on the table without many identifying clues, but perhaps with a title so brazen there is no need for further names. The album received acclaim within the underground black metal circuit for its ability to achieve the atmosphere of windswept misery. Holding overwrought cries at an echoy distance and utilizing clean and curated production, Life Has Gone On Long Enough strikes a chord with many through its approachable honesty. By leaving the errs of fantastic extreme metal fantasies at the door, NONE holds true.

Such a spirit is applied in Damp Chill of Life, which features seven tracks of concise and candid names. Plodding but seamless, the album captures a picture of meandering around daily life with that pesky dark shadow in tow. With no clear beginning or end to the throes of sadness, the detection of rise and fall is often subliminal at most. Acoustic breaks are accompanied with gasps for air and piano strokes are offset with desperate whispers, exemplifying how it doesn’t necessarily bend in the face of beauty. “It’s Painless to Let Go” especially anchors the album with its gripping riffs that build before breaking into an unplugged interpretation.

Together, the facets of Damp Chill of Life place another solid release under the belt of NONE, who has mastered the art of taking constant sorrow and turning it into consistent composition.

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Damp Chill of Life releases on April 11th via Hypnotic Dirge. NONE does not use social media, but you can find more information here.

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