BRÒN is an Atmospheric Black Metal project by Krigeist who also brought us projects such as BARSHASKETH and BELLICISTE. From what I can tell, Krigeist is from New Zealand but started BRÒN in Edinburgh, Scotland. More recently he relocated to Belgrade, Serbia and on December 11, 2020 released the fifth full-length album, "Pred Dverima Noći," under the BRÒN moniker. If you're a follower of this project, you'll note that GH joined as drummer.

BRÒN is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning "sorrow." With my top-notch translation skills, otherwise known as Google Translate, the album and song titles seem to be Croatian. Google yielded plausible translations for all the titles, so I'm going with that. Using said methodology, the album title more or less translates to "Before The Doors Of Night." Even if that's totally wrong, it's still a cool album title.

"Pred Dverima Noći" comprises three tracks and spans almost an hour. With GH taking charge of percussion duties, the album has more backbone than you might expect from an Ambient BM album. Some of this may be down to the production values. Whereas the guitars, synth, and vocals meld together in a cold, grayscape, the drums are well separated and provide distinct signposting for the shifting tempos and movements.

The first track, "Dverima Noći" (trans: "The Doors Of The Night"), lulls us into the icy dark landscape which we'll be traversing for the next fifty-two minutes. It's a sinister but understated piece that creeps into your psyche almost without notice. The second track, "Usnulu Zlobu Razbudi" (trans: "Awaken The Sleeping Malice"), is true to its title and picks up in intensity . . . at least for the first 13 minutes. Thereafter the track returns to the sonic equivalent of drifting mist and necrotic hoarfrost. The third and final track, "Zastore Skrši" (trans: "Curtains Break"), is a hybrid between track one and two, oscillating between haunting ambient and demonic onslaught.

Altogether, I rather like this album. If you're into Ambient or Atmospheric BM, then "Dverima Noći" is a solid find. It's not filled with depressive naval gazing or over-the-top evil posturing. It's decidedly dark, of course, but it's a comfortable darkness. Much like the album cover, which depicts a lone figure venturing into a forest of frozen gloom, it invokes a sense of solemn awe and is reminiscent of a dark place you may have visited in an uneasy slumber.