This was the only information I was able to find about the band, and it comes from Bandcamp. “Change is often painful. Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut Anhedonia, Finnish progressive post-metal band BESRA has been looking for ways to shed their skin.” The album has four songs, and “An Omen Of…” is first. The sound is dark, solemn and hopeless. I like the harsh vocals better of the two styles, because they work better with the dark tones of the song. The combination of heavy riffs with gentler cleans and piano works very well to paint the picture.

“The Final Hour” features spoken words with another heavy backdrop that is held in check with melodic tones swirling in the background. You can feel the tension building, until it reaches a boiling point, and it ends on a note of deep despair. The title track is much sturdier, coming out of the gate with a punishing sound and harsh vocals that echo both anguish and bleakness. There are moment of reprieve sandwiched in between the tortured rage, but they are fleeting and quickly drowned by sheer weight of the song. “End of the Horizon” closes the album, and it has a powerful and commanding riff, teetering on the edge of Sludge Metal. The clean vocal harmonies really put the title of the song into perspective.

I am going to be honest…I need more. The four songs here had a lot of depth, but coerced me into taking the path into the dark that I was warned not to follow. It led me to a brook, where the water shined in the bring moonlight. But the more I looked around, it became obvious that this was a place of deep pain, and a place where you can unburden that pain for a while. When you leave, it returns, beguiling you to remain there forever alone.