Review: Casm – When is the End of Summer?

Here we are at the threshold of summer, and what better way to enjoy it all than to sink into the forlorn, icy noise of black metal act Casm. Composed of members of Satan Destroyer and Blodfalt, Casm’s When is the End of Summer? demo effectively brings the autumn nights rushing back in a brooding dirge of true sorrow metal. Is it worth checking out? Read on…

When is the End of Summer? Review

If atmospheric black metal and the sounds associated with DSBM are not your thing, I’d steer very far from this one. Casm have very little interest in creating punchy, rapid-fire black metal numbers that blitz the senses, hit hard, and segue into the next assault. This is black metal that creeps along like a fog, murky, plodding and sorrowful. The riffs on “Torn by Ten,” for example, are distinctly reminiscent of the ultra-repetitive, high treble ones heard on Burzum’s Filosofem, and the speed (I use that word loosely here) mimics that album as well. One can hear early Wolves in the Throne Room in the more atmospheric, echoing main riffs on the title track and “As I Lay Dying, Let Wait For Winter’s Shine” as well. If you’re looking for something to blow your socks off, this isn’t it. This is black metal to sink into, as slow as a funeral march. The drum work of Lina Mortemiis merely serves to usher the proceedings along inevitably towards their end, and it’s truly all that’s needed. Lord Enochiam’s vocals are at once cavernous and otherworldly, without descending into the abrasive style of Xasthur or the roaring depth heard with Nortt. There’s no flash, no technical fireworks, nothing; just pure minimalistic black metal gloom. As a package it all works, but whether or not that it will be something to every black metal fan’s taste is another thing entirely. Musically-speaking, if the stretched out, droning riffs of Within Thy Wounds or the anguished minimalism associated with Burzum’s early work irritate you, then I’d just say run for your life from this one. But if you really love the primitive structures associated with the more melancholic side of black metal, this one hits the spot and just barely warms like a tiny fire in a vast old forest in the dead of winter.

Themes and Lyrics

Obviously, despite the sonic similarities shared with DSBM, Casm do not share the same emphases or nihilistic perspectives of their contemporaries. This does not mean that, for all its doom and gloom, Casm are shrieking on about sunny days and fun times. But what’s interesting to me is that the band, while on the Christian Metal Underground label (Vision of God Records), don’t really have any explicitly Christian lyrics, even though the members themselves are indeed Christians. That said, if you look at Antestor’s “Sorg,” (a clear influence) neither did that song. To my mind, Casm looks at depression and loss directly and confronts them as human emotions outright. It’s a tough go, lyrically, and Casm definitely do not shy away from it all. But I do believe that there is a glimmer of hope to be found here – “My tears flow east / Towards a homeward sacred land / To all that are dead in the light / The truest of them gone”; the notion of facing east (an element of Christian worship and liturgy) and the longing for a heavenly home amongst the saints is how I read this passage. And for all the record’s despair, the last track declares a longing for light and rest, a longing for peace. It might not all be for everyone, but for those who can stomach it, I think there’s some interesting food for thought here.

Final Thoughts

Casm’s first release is decidedly an acquired taste. Anything like this is bound to be, even by black metal standards. The riffs do tend to drag on at times a tad bit too long, but this is part and parcel of the style. The lyrics should perhaps be approached with a bit of caution, especially if one is prone to a melancholic nature. But as a package, as far as this style of black metal goes, it’s pretty on point. I can’t help but love the classic Antestor vibes on here, and it definitely keeps pace with what Within Thy Wounds is doing currently. I’d say the band is in pretty good company in that regard. Looking forward to what they do next!

For Fans Of

• Burzum
• Wolves in the Throne Room (older)
• Within Thy Wounds
• Xasthur
• Antestor (older)

Check out the band here: https://holycasm.bandcamp.com/album/when-is-the-end-of-summer

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