Shadows

Continuing the work they started with 2011's Asylum, Morne continue to take a more nuanced and refined approach to glacial doom with their third full-length offering, Shadows. In a genre that often uses crushing volume like an extra instrument, Morne's sound feels more withdrawn and Spartan, stripping away anything inessential so the band can focus on creating the right mood. While this stripped-down sound might appear simple, it's probably more correct to say that it's only as complex as it needs to be. There are plenty of moments during the band's epic excursions that could be filled with another guitar riff or an ambient synth part, but Morne show a tremendous level of restraint throughout the album as they leave these spaces empty. The reward for this is an album that manages to be minimal and relatively sparse without feeling boring or repetitive, making for yet another engaging and powerful entry in the band's discography.