SINISTER DOWNFALL is a one man German funeral doom band who formed in 2016. "A Dark Shining Light," is their second full length album. It begins with the title track, and the growing sound of keyboard tones is gentle but slowly gets closer and closer, like a train coming down a tunnel.  It mixes with a massive wall of sound and incredibly deep death growls; despite this funeral doom, the song wastes no time in getting started, a bold move for an opener considering there are shorter tracks on the album to grab attention with. However, the confidence the band has in the song is well placed.

The anguish hangs in between the notes of the song like a festering wound that just won't stop hurting. Very slight of hand, very subtle melody just barely pushes the glacial movement of the song forward. While it doesn't reinvent any wheels, it ticks off all the boxes that I look for in funeral doom. So, for me and other fans, this song is a near perfect opener. As the song lurches along, the melody and tempo get a little faster and a more in depth, collecting layers while mowing over anything it its path. This dismal light that fights for presence through the track, and the album as a whole, is akin to the last rays of light be drowned by a storm. It makes for a compelling and interesting listen.

"Shape In The Mist" is the next and slightly longer track. A gentle landscape quickly disappears before the deep death growls but tendrils of the decaying light are dragged alongside them, tattered and broken .This song blends in atmosphere melody and ambient sorrow extremely well. Sometimes these elements present themselves in between the more electric parts but it makes them all the more deep and dark. Other times the guitar leads behind a backdrop of static darkness the lighter elements play off of. It is engrossing, regardless of approach.

"Reach For The Dead" is one of the shorter tracks but it manages to stand tall, a monument of misery standing stark to the skies. The whole song is very fluid, one long movement that fills in the cracks as it is stretched and broken apart. Clean keys are the highlight for "Bury Your Thoughts" because they serve a dual purpose. They highlight the hopelessness within by reminding that darkness and light cannot exist without each other. The keyboards also keep this darkness buried deep creating a two fold song that is beautifully sad yet deeply entrenched in the void.

"Behold Darkness" is the last track and possibly my favorite. The frighteningly deep growls are more of a force of nature than anything. They come in these high waves, crashing against the melancholy. But this melancholy, in the form of the guitars, just doesn't quick. A very persuasive and tenacious presence emanates out from them to push back against the vocals. This futile battle makes the track a tragic dirge of never ending death.

All in all, "A Dark Shining Light" is an album that features both light and darkness fighting for stale air but in doing so create a harrowing mix of cavernous layers. If you like funeral doom then I don't see why you wouldn't love this album.