The opening moments of the album begin with the gentle strumming of the ethereal guitars soaring over a backdrop of slow-pacing drums and creating a binding aura of a brooding atmosphere. What shines through are the ornamental melodies of the lofty guitar arrangements. Therefore, you will come across some breathtaking moments full of grandeur. The quality of the composition is key for transitioning from different tones and elevating the music from ethereal elements to more subtle melodies falling into the sullenness of the deep growls. The elegance and musical texture are driven by excellent guitar work and while the drums provide a transitional pace Oak‘s music is rooted in a wide spectrum. In many ways, the music reflects the tranquil atmosphere, conjuring up heavenly images in your mind.

The interludes segue to build vast spaces of immersive sonic themes and the layered guitars coalesce with the slow drumming, almost lethargically carried by the slow pacing. Riffs are marked by these heavy chunks, but there is even more to uncover. The opulent tone of the guitar melodies and the drums reflects the cathartic tone of funeral doom. An unprecedented level of focus and mastery over the composition is what Oak sought to achieve this sophomore. Every facet of the lead guitars weaves through the ambient atmosphere and drags you down into the pits of your doom. Oak brings its sonic art in many forms of funeral doom and the guitar textures are woven in unconventional ways that combine dense layers. As for the drums, they maintain the crushing pace alternating from the lurching pace to shambling gait and keeping the rhythm flowing endlessly throughout the shuddering growls.

The muffling of the double bass and the blast beats hits the climax in the twentieth minute and with all this anguish piercing the soul the slow ethereal guitars offer some short moments of respite. Within the duration of forty-five minutes Oak takes you to bright, spherical realms of spiritual domains. While the second half of this monolithic track begins to manifest slowly, the role of the vocals displays the darker side of Oak. The slow momentum then shifts to traditional death/doom territory with the drums oscillating into cavernous blast beats and the guitars emphasizing plodding dirges. The sullen, guttural growls trigger a sudden burst of anger as echoes of gruntings ebb and flow with the guitars adding shades of black and menace.

‘Disintegrate’ bridges the space between death/doom and funeral doom and integrates the approach to enhance the coherence between the tempos and the slow doomy interludes. There are some musical hints that evoke the style of Esoteric and U.S. atmospheric funeral doom band Un. However, the Portuguese duo emphasizes the thematic instrumentation in a wider range. Guitarist and vocalist Guilherme Henriques shows great ability in interlacing these unsophisticated instrument facets of sludge metal, offering layers of chunky guitars and droning bizarre sounds.

While the final quarter of the sophomore brings some monotonous, droning guitar sections with undulating rhythms, the guitars, however, veer in the direction of modern black metal. This sleek talent of piecing together performances results in a rather more dark and sinister persona of Oak’s unsettling music, hence fusing a compatible amalgam of death/doom and black metal. Even when injecting an air of ambiance, the music projects different themes as well as cinematic poignancies. The ending of the sophomore explodes in a blaze of shimmering ember with the profound effects of the melodies leaving you in an endless drift of streaming lead guitars and flourishing misery that pours down like a black winter’s rain.

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