Somber Vampyric Night

I thought this was a French band until I looked up the biography. Ascalapha may hail from the U.S., but Somber Vampyric Night is very much rooted in French black metal from the late '90s and early 2000s, albeit more melodic and gloomier than the bands of that era I'm familiar with; the faster, more "black metal" songs are more reminiscent of said era. There's some material here more akin to post-black, so kind of low on the metal and high on "soothing" melodies, the kind of stuff that definitely won't scare the neighbours. It took me a while to really start digging this because of those very melodic songs that clash with the fast, heavier and more metallic stuff on offer, but your mileage may vary. It's a little bit depressing thanks to a dark and sometimes gloomy atmosphere, but the more rocking stuff is closer to straightforward black metal. This album doesn't lack variety and it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride.