Conceived by FERAL LIGHT front man and songwriter A.S., UNSOULING brings into the fold an atmosphere incorporating death metal and darkwave, as well as some goth-tinged influences, creating a cohesive yet engaging and enveloping experience. The band’s full-length debut, “Vampiric Spiritual Drain” deals with the inevitable pain associated with emotional and spiritual reckoning, as well as the insurmountable and uncontrollable nature of our universe. The cover art imagined and painted by Luciana Nedelea specifically for the album, captures the feral nature of UNSOULING’s death metal and simultaneously envelops it in nocturnal atmospheres steeped in mysticism and spirituality. The album has seven songs.

“The Wolf and Survival” is first. The tones are mostly dissonant, and horrid, but there is a bit of melody as well. The juxtaposition is odd, but it works. Listen to the organ notes at the end that seem to come from nowhere. “The Ladder of Broken Backs” hears the harrowing sound continue, and the melody is hidden at times, and other times there for the taking. So far, this is quite personal music in terms of its scope. “Taileater” is a very short song featuring scary electronic elements that seem to emanate from outer space. “Floating Key” is another short song that has another odd combination of melody and dissonance. The pace is much quicker, however, and the melody is again largely hidden.

“Weightless Immovable Anchor” has a more linear sound, especially in the main riff. The vocals are horridly harsh, and the music has a steady weighted groove that explores here and there. The keyboards are another seemingly out of place addition. “Endless Plateau” is another short offering heavy with electronics. If there is one constant on the album, it’s that nothing is constant. “The Wolf and Ascension” closes the album. The dissonance in the song is equaled perhaps only by its weirdness. At times, you get a glimpse of the composer’s inner thoughts, but just when you think you have them in tote, the sound shifts again.

Overall, this was an odd listening experience. Some of the songs were more linear than others, but the level of oddity was high. While I found many of the songs intriguing, the average Metal listener will find them hard to connect with, in my opinion. For these reasons, I can’t give them album a higher rating than it has.