Music for pessimists and nihlists

Welcome to Melancholic Thought. This blog is going to showcase an absolute random selection of music that has more of a "depressive" vibe to it. I have a genre in mind, (DSBM), but I may add music of other genres as well. So, on this site I'll put reviews, recommendations, and other ways of describing walls of text. But remember, this is a personal blog, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Anyways, hopefully you'll enjoy the site and maybe you'll get into some new music.

Also, you can travel to the bottom of the page by clicking here.


My Purest Heart For You - Tragic End [2017]

Posted on: January 6th, 2018

Artist: My Purest Heart For You
Album: Tragic End
Year: 2017
Country: United States

  1. Alone 5:20
  2. I Don't Want To Be Here 4:27
  3. Burden Of Existing 2:43
  4. Phantom Channel 3:32
  5. Tragic End 6:04

Favorite: Tragic End | Least Favorite: Alone | Get the album here!

So since I had reviewed black metal outfit My Purest Heart For You's debut demo; they have released two more albums and for some reason, I haven't gotten around to reviewing them even though I said "I want more from this band". Well here we are with the first of these two releases, Tragic End. I was pleasantly suprised to see that this band isn't planning on fading away like so many bands that start on bandcamp do. So without further ado, lets take a look at it. So, good news, this album is yet another emotional journey that warrants praise; and I applaud the artist for being able to pull it off again.

Now this band's first release was heavily distorted, but it can't even hold a candle to Tragic End's level of distortion. This album is somewhat experimental; layering it's vocals and drums with epic melodies that can unfortunately cause headaches if your volume is at max for long periods of time (heh). Just like their first, this album overall is unrelenting as hell, rarely slowing down to give the listener time to breathe. This could be considered a flaw, but I think the raw as fuck flurry of instruments help get across the panicked and torturous emotions the artist is trying to portray. This really shines on the song "Phantom Channel", my second favorite song on the album. That doesn't mean this album never slows though; the final track, "Tragic End" is a somber song with amazing hushed vocals and a memorable melody that easily makes it, in my opinion, the best song they've released so far. Although fast, the track doesn't really give me the intense vibe the rest of the songs on the album give me, and I think the mixing is the reason why. Initially this album has a very different sound than the first, and it can be pretty jarring especially if you listened to the first as much as I did. In fact, I actually didn't like this album until I gave it a second chance, which is why "Alone" is my least favorite by technicality only. My biggest gripe with this album is sometimes the mixing can be deafening when listening to it at higher volumes. Good luck listening to this when you're in your car, essentially. But nonetheless, this is still worth listening to.

So in conclusion, get this album and adjust your ears to it because damn is it good. You can get it for free if you'd like, but I ask you to support the band if at all possible.


Kayra - Demo [2015]

Posted on: October 27th, 2017

Artist: Kayra
Album: Demo
Year: 2015
Country: France

  1. Tuman 04:09
  2. Izmoros 4:01
  3. Drevo 04:37
  4. Snegiri 04:07
  5. Mor 04:18
  6. Led 03:40
  7. Burya 04:59
  8. Solnce 03:33

Favorite: Burya | Least Favorite: Solnce | Get the album here!

Kayra, actually a side project of the french DSBM band Like Desolate Like True, is a relatively new band that debuted in 2015. Hilariously enough, I personally have never actually listened to Like Desolate Like True, (as of yet anyways). Somehow, I ended up listening to Kayra first. Weirdly enough, this album is horribly underrated and it deserves more attention; which I plan on giving it. This album is covered is a thick layer of distortion and lacks discernable vocals which can actually make it hard to differentiate the instruments if you're a first time listener or if you're not listening hard enough. This may turn some people off, but if you're not a big fan of either of these things, why are you listening to DSBM anyways, right? The album utilizes stretched guitars, heavy drums, melodic piano, and faint background vocals throughout it, and it works beautifully. Masterfully crafted and covering a range of negative emotions, this album, or 'Demo', is a personal favorite of mine.

This album is very melancholic, with the opener "Tuman" really setting the tone. A lot of this album has this very...I dont know...grandiose feel to it; it's very hard to explain but man is it a pleasure to listen to. "Snegiri" is another stand out track to me, using acoustics and the piano I mentioned earlier to their full potential. This track builds a very sinister atmosphere; similar to the impending doom sensation that most doom metal bands like Abyssmal Sorrow give off. Really, all the tracks on this album are great so it was very hard for me to choose a favorite, but I ended up rolling with "Burya"; a song which heavily focuses on the aforementioned stretched guitars. I've been listening to this album for two years and I still haven't listened to the original band, but it sure has made me want to. Too bad I'm a procrastinator. Anyways, the album's closer is "Solnce" a song that is only my least favorite by the process of elemination.

This album is a strange anomaly that is hard to describe in words (for me at least), so honestly I'm just going to tell you to just listen to it and the two singles that succeed it. They're great. This is yet another album with no physical release as far as I can tell, so tough shit.


DSBM Documentary: One Man Metal

Posted on: September 15th, 2017

There is no genre of metal as obscure as DSBM. It's hostile subject matter and rough listening easily makes this genre less popular than say, thrash metal. There are many documentaries on metal in general, but never before have I seen a documentary focusing on DSBM. As fans of the genre know, many bands that play this genre often times are made up of only one member; who plays all of the instruments. Well finally, a three part documentary based on these one man metal bands has been produced by Noisey, and I have to admit, it is pretty informative and insightful. The documentary focuses on four bands in particular; (those of which are pretty popular) Leviathan & Lurker of Chalice, Xasthur, and Striborg. Being a fan of the four aforementioned bands, I enjoyed this documentary a lot and whole-heartily recommend it to any fan of the genre. It is a bit short, which is a shame, but it's worth your time.

The documentary is split into three seperate parts; below I've posted all three of them in playlist format for your viewing pleasure.




My Useless Life - Negative Memories [2014]

Posted on: August 17th, 2017

Artist: My Useless Life
Album: Negative Memories
Year: 2014
Country: United States

  1. Towards Nothingness 05:49
  2. Pale Illusion 06:39
  3. Neverending Suffering 05:47
  4. A Heart Full of Sorrow 07:39
  5. Død 03:20
  6. As I Fade Away 08:05
  7. The Last Winter/See You on the Other Side 06:16

Favorite: A Heart Full of Sorrow | Least Favorite: Pale Illusion | Check them out here!

My Useless Life returned two years later with their second album, Negative Memories. I rarely hear talk of this album in comparison with it's predecessor; this might be because I'm out of touch but I always found it kind of weird, because I really like this album. It's not as good as their first, but is still a great entry into the DSBM library (not without flaws of course). See, this record is much more polished than their original, meaning the production quality is better and the thick distortion is much more cleared up to reduce that somewhat awkward ringing noise tracks like "Everything Is Just an Illusion" gave off. This is kind of a mixed bag, as the first half of the album in my opinion is much weaker than the second half (the cut-off being track 4).

As I said, the first three tracks are much weaker, with the song "Pale Illusion" being my least favorite by far; it's just mediocore. The best part of that song is probably the outro piece. Neverending Suffering is definitley the strongest of the trio, but still doesn't hold a candle to the next four songs afterwards. Once you hit the song "A Heart Full of Sorrow", things really start to kick off. "As I Fade Away" and "The Last Winter/See You on the Other Side" are songwriting epics with a fantastic buildup from the admittedly badly-named "Død" (Literally translates to death in Norwegian). Although I make this album out to sound disappointing when compared to On the Edge, it's really not. I think the mediocrity that the first three tracks make me experience is attributed to my unhealthy consumption of DSBM music; I feel first time listeners will really enjoy this record. In the end though, I'd whole heartedly recommend this album to anyone.

Weirdly enough, I thinks this is the best album to start off with when it comes to My Useless Life. It's good, much more cleaned up, and it retains the ability to make you feel like shit. Still no physical releases though...regardless, this is great and worth checking out.


My Useless Life - On the Edge [2012]

Posted on: August 17th, 2017

Artist: My Useless Life
Album: On the Edge
Year: 2012
Country: United States

  1. Insignificance 04:44
  2. Existence Without Purpose 06:34
  3. Suicidal Angels 07:18
  4. Drowned 05:11
  5. Melancholic Night 03:13
  6. I Should Have Never Been Born 05:01
  7. Road to Nowhere 05:02

Favorite: Road to Nowhere | Least Favorite: Drowned | Check them out here!

So this is the album this band is known for. It would fit my persona to call it overrated, but that's just not applicable here. Other than the fact that three of the songs present here are ripped straight from their debut EP which came onto the scene only a year before, there isn't much criticism to go around without criticizing the genre of DSBM as a whole and well...yeah. So tracks 1,2,& 4 have been covered already in my previous review of Existence Without Purpose. This album is very similar to their debut, annd I guess it can be seen as an exension of that release, minus one song. I'm not making it sound great, but trust me on this it's worth your time. A lot of your time.

The new tracks in this album are just as masterfully crafted as the last, with my personal standout "Road to Nowhere", which incorporates what sounds like a piano. This piano like-sound is also present in several other tracks. The dense distortion and echoing vocals really make you feel like your lost in a maze of auditory fog, with the track "Melancholic Night" showcasing this effect incredibly well. But alas, this distortion can get tiring after repeated listening. The song "Suicidal Angels" splits apart the EP tracks and I think is a good mixup that creeps it's way into the back of your head...and the song "I Should Have Never Been Born" is my close second favorite due to the unique sound the guitars take on in this track. So I've found this album in general is pretty great at tearing up your insides. This, in my opinion, is what DSBM is all about; conveying and projecting negative emotions and experiences of the world onto the listener in a strangley enjoyable and addictive fashion. Any good DSBM should make you feel like shit. And this album does it beautifully. (Alright, I'm done sucking this album off..)

Mandatory listening for anyone who claims to like DSBM. This is an album you will revisit throughout the years as I have found; just so damn good. Like their debut, I don't believe there are any physical releases of this album...so fuck.


My Useless Life - Existence Without Purpose [2011]

Posted on: August 15th, 2017

Artist: My Useless Life
Album: Existence Without Purpose
Year: 2011
Country: United States

  1. Insignificance 04:44
  2. Existence Without Purpose 06:34
  3. Drowned 05:11
  4. Everything Is Just an Illusion 03:14

Favorite: Insignificance | Least Favorite: Drowned | Check them out here!

My Useless Life is definitely one of the more popular DSBM bands out there, and with good reason. They really are one of those bands that can actually be used to reassure that DSBM is worth defending. They may be most known for their first full length entitled On the Edge, but I've decided to take a look through their entire discography; starting with their debut EP Existence Without Purpose. It's short, but it really just lays the framework for their later works. I was honestly reluctant in reviewing this EP considering the first three songs are also present within the first four songs on their first album. Oh well! This album feels very "layered" and has extremely distorted instruments. I feel like any first time listener who doesn't listen closely enough will be easily turned off to the sound, but once you get used to it; it's magical (in a soul sucking kind of way). Although this band is technically not broken up, they haven't released anything since 2014, so now is as good a time as ever to recommend them.

So anyways, each track is populated by raspy vocals which echo and have no discernable lyrics, and honestly it works brilliantly. I'd much rather have lyricless screams of agony than basic poetry that sounds as if it was written by a twelve year old. My personal favorite track, "Insignificance", slowly builds with support from said vocals, only to erupt into a blaze of fury. The title track is a slow, crushing song that serves as a good follow up to the first track. Now the song "Drowned" isn't terrible, it's just somewhat...listless (I feel like many disagree with me, but opinions, sorry). Most importantly though, is the track "Everything Is Just an Illusion", which is only present on this EP, and not on their first LP. This song has a great melody which doesn't overstay it's welcome like a lot of DSBM melodies do. Easily my second favorite song on the EP.

Great stuff. I'd only get it to listen to the last track, otherwise just listen to their first LP. But as far as I can tell, there is no physical release of any of My Useless Life's music, so just give it a listen.


Abyssmal Sorrow - Lament [2008]

Posted on: June 22nd, 2017

Artist: Abyssmal Sorrow
Album: Lament
Year: 2008
Country: Australia

  1. Bound in Lifeless Affliction 09:17
  2. Reqium For The Dying Moon 10:50
  3. Cavernous Sorrow And Worthlessness 05:57
  4. Echoes Through The Fields Of Death 09:26
  5. Austere Lament Pt. One 06:55
  6. Austere Lament Pt. Two 12:22

Favorite: Austere Lament Pt. Two | Least Favorite: Echoes Through The Fields Of Death | Get the album here!

Abyssmal Sorrow decided to follow-up to their self-titled EP back in 2007 with the release of their first full album on February 13th; Lament. While the EP displayed a great potential in depressive doom, Lament goes all out and does not disappoint. The album follows basically the same formula as their first release, but it still manages to stay fresh. Something I didn't mention is that the slowness of this band can be a major turn off for some, but this is an amazing album and it seems to be very unrepresented in the doom metal community (not sure why). It's a god-damn shame that this band had to brake up shortly ater the release of this record; for this is quality music.

The album begins and consists of what essentially is more of the same of their EP, which actually isn't a bad thing as that is exactly what I wanted going into this. "Bound in Lifeless Affliction" is the first in a series of long soul crushing songs that consist of guitars that remind me of someone dying of a heroin overdose (how uplifting). There isn't too much to say about the first four tracks that you can't see in my review of their original EP other than the fact that some of the songs chug even slower occasionally, but the song "Austere Lament Pt. One" stands out for sure. The song consists of calm acoustics being played over the sounds of rain and thunder. During all this, you can hear two voices talking; one is asking the other to end his life as he "can't live like this". This is followed by a stabbing sound, panicked breathing, and the next 12 minute soul crusher, "Austere Lament Pt. Two". Beautiful.

It could be repetitive to some, but this is a fantastic final release from Abyssmal Sorrow; a must-listen if your a doom metal fan. Pick it Up!


Abyssmal Sorrow - Abymssmal Sorrow (EP) [2007]

Posted on: June 9th, 2017

Artist: Abyssmal Sorrow
Album: Abyssmal Sorrow (EP)
Year: 2007
Country: Australia

  1. Misery 13:31
  2. The Stone Pages 07:11
  3. In Misery There Can Be Comfort 14:04


Favorite: Misery | Least Favorite: The Stone Pages | Get the album here!

Easily an underground classic. This is the debut EP by the short lived (and uh...misspelled) project Abyssmal Sorrow. Released from Australia on August 6th, 2007, this self titled EP plays a beautiful and sorrowful form of Black/Funeral Doom metal. This EP is only comprised of three songs, and at first glance may seem generic. Let me assure you though, the songs displayed here sure do pack a punch. This EP is a great warmup for their next release and first full album, Lament (which I plan on reviewing soon).

Let me remind you the genre here is funeral doom, so the sound is very slow, and crunchy. The first track of this EP is entitled "Misery". While not creatively named, this song is 13 minutes of lethargy and draining emotion; with acoustics breaking up the pace twice throughout the song. "Misery" easily is my personal favorite track on this EP. The guitars on this EP are painfully stretched, and the vocals have a hopeless sort of drag to them. That may sound negative but it really plays a great role in the atmosphere of this album. The second song is the shortest on the album, being about 7 minutes long. This song doesn't differ enough to be as memorable as the other two tracks, but still manages to be a decent song. The last track is incredibly heavy and even slower paced than the first two, and is a perfect ending to this beautifully depressing EP. This is a great musical debut for Abyssmal Sorrow, with the sound quality being surprisingly good, having amazing atmosphere, and having the ability to drain the emotion out of me. This is probably not something you will listen to constantly though, due to it's slow pace.

This EP is worth checking out, I love it. It is a great warm-up for their full length, but still manages to stand on it's own. Getting it on CD is kinda hard now, but it's worth it.


Abyss Under The Solar Plexus - The End (orphin) [2014]

Posted on: April 22nd, 2017

Artist: Abyss Under The Solar Plexus
Album: The End (orphin)
Year: 2014
Country: Germany

  1. Bloodflower Of Love 09:04
  2. Hopeless Dreams About You... 09:42
  3. My Eyes Seek You In The Night Sky 09:55
  4. Emptiness Of The Abyss (69) 10:42

Favorite: Hopeless Dreams About You... | Least Favorite: Bloodflower Of Love | Get the album here!

This is an interesting one. This artist is labeled as "Ambient/Noise/Depressive Black Metal", but honestly I don't hear a single distinguishable guitar sound. So...even if the vocals are reminiscent of black metal, I consider this more of a "ambient/Noise" release. Nevertheless, this album is crazy as hell and very unique but it has a very niche audience. The album has an obvious theme about lost love, but not much else is actually known about the album or it's artist. So I guess you could say this is pretty underground.

The album is comprised of four 9-10 minute songs that can seem sporadic and random at points. This happens within the first 30 seconds of the first song; jumping from violin to an ambient noise which I cannot find the words to describe. The second track is composed of sythesizers, piano sections, and small pieces of drum patterns, and so is the third track. Track 2 and 3 are the only songs with vocals, and holy crap the guy sounds like he is coughing up blood. It may just be the layered effects, but it sounds terrifying and painful. The last track is comprised of random distorted noise, a constant sound of a disturbed choir, and synthesizers...it can only be described as the artist's descent into madness after the somewhat sane first three songs. It is very dissapoinnting to me because I KNOW this album has to have a great backstory to it. I wonder what the artist had been through to produce this, and how did the songs relate to his/her life? It's a damn shame we'll probably never know.

This album definitely isn't for everyone, but if you have some free time alone and are willing to experience something truly strange and engaging; check it out.


The Last Days - When the Tomorrow is a Grey Day [2010]

Posted on: April 13th, 2017

Artist: The Last Days
Album: When the Tomorrow is a Grey Day
Year: 2010
Country: Brazil

  1. When The Tomorrow Is A Grey Day 03:16
  2. Make The Change...Are Your Last Days 08:58
  3. The Time Will Never Come Back 09:04
  4. Soul Of City 09:16
  5. A Vague Look 02:10
  6. (CD ONLY) Make The Change...Are Your Last Days (Post Rock Version)

Favorite: Make The Change...Are Your Last Days | Least Favorite: A Vague Look | Get the album here!

From the underground black metal movement of china comes The Last Day's When the Tomorrow Is A Grey Day. This album is their debut, and it has a unique "soft" sound to it. This album is pretty damn quiet sounding for being black metal as I always find myself turning up my stereo much higher than I should...but this sound helps build an atmosphere reminiscent of being isolated and alone at the center of a busy city. As a sidenote, I am really bugged by the poor translation of the song titles, the album title, and the BAND's NAME. I'd prefer the straight portugese/spanish instead.

The first track of this album fades in with what sounds like a busy day at a subway station. This track sets the stage for the rest of the album and really asserts that atmosphere I mentioned earlier. This is the only song to use samples, which is a damn shame because I feel they could of been very beneficial to the other tracks (if used correctly). The rest of the tracks are soft sounding black metal pieces that are very calming in a melancholic kind of way. I find it interesting that only one song on the album has vocals on it; "Soul of City". The vocals are good enough, but they are noticeably louder than the rest of the instruments. This isn't much of a problem, just a slight annoyance.

This album may have it's flaws, but it's great nonetheless. If you like it, pickup the CD; it has a fantastic bonus track that as far as I can tell is nowhere to be found on the internet.


My Purest Heart For You - Guilt Had Ambushed Me Once Again [2016]

Posted on: April 12th, 2017

Artist: My Purest Heart For You
Album: Guilt Had Ambushed Me Once Again
Year: 2016
Country: United States

  1. Guilt Had Ambushed Me Once Again 04:42
  2. Being Is Desire/Desire Is Suffering 04:36
  3. My Purest Heart For You 10:25


Favorite: My Purest Heart For You | Least Favorite: Guilt Had Ambushed Me Once Again | Get the album here!

This is more of a demo than an album, seeing how short it is (maybe a mini-album?), but it's just as good as many full-lengths. My Purest Heart For You comes from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which I think is strange because that is the LAST place I'd imagine raw DSBM to emerge from. Anyways, don't let that deter you, as this album is unrelenting and depressing as hell. The album has a heavy atmosphere of freeing anger and sadness, with explosive results; this demo is nothing but pure emotion and pain stemming from the artist's terrible anxiety (according to his descriptiom on bandcamp anyways).

As soon as you turn on the first track, "Guilt Had Ambushed Me Once Again", you are hit with a wave of raw black metal fury. I love it. The first two songs are crushing and raw as hell; and the ferocious vocals seal the deal (even if they sound a bit generic). I find myself captivated by the drumming on this album. Just...listen to it, you'll know what I mean. The album is pretty relentless, but speed and intensity does slow down eventually, which is great because it can get tiring, especially after listening to the album several times. The most notable example being in my favorite track, "My Purest Heart For You", which is incidentally the same name as the band (why do artists do this..?). The song has a very long breakdown that sounds more sinister the more I listen to it. The lo-fi sound of the songs really make this feel dirty and gritty; and thats what it is. A purely unpleasant experience: a total translation of the artist's feelings and fears into music.

A powerful, short, depressing experience. Fantastic. You can get it for free; but I say buy it. I want more from this band.


Unreqvited - Disquiet [2016]

Posted on: April 11th, 2017

Artist: Unreqvited
Album: Disquiet
Year: 2016
Country: Canada

  1. Birth 02:45
  2. The Autumn Fire 07:08
  3. Disquiet 09:22
  4. A Tear From The Oak 03:00
  5. An Ocean Of Ire 02:58
  6. Maydena 07:36
  7. Death 09:00

Favorite: Disquiet | Least Favorite: A Tear From The Oak | Get the album here!

This album is the first release from the emerging Canadian band Unreqvited, and I can easily say it is one of my favorite black metal albums of 2016. This band plays a self-described atmospheric/depressive/post black metal mix, and is often called a blackgaze act. This is one that you will definitely listen all the way through the first time you hear it (I know I did). This album stands tall amongst the black metal acts of 2016, and one of the reasons are the vocals. The vocals are weird, though in a good way. I'm not sure how to explain it honestly, but his vocals sound as if he is infinitely falling from a cliff; it really gives the music a hopeless, or hollow, feeling.

The tracks flow very smoothly with it's melodic and heavenly guitars, and it all seems very natural, so much so in fact the first two songs might as well be one song. Actually, I'm pretty sure they were meant to be at one point. The track "A Tear From The Oak" is an ambient track that creates a haunting image of being lost in a forest. Although great, this is easily the weakest song on the album. The song just feels like the "intermission", and I wouldn't really be surprised if it was meant to be that way. Anyways, this album's occasional use of piano mixes very well and makes songs like "Maydena" and "Disquiet" stand out (never thought I'd headbang to piano). The album's ender is "Death", an epic song which has a beautiful outro with a catchy tune in piano. This song wraps up the album perfectly. Overall, I'd say my biggest problem with this album is that it's too fucking short!

In conclusion, pick this album up. By that I mean buy a physical copy like I did. I can't wait for their next release, and I can't recommend Disquiet enough.