Showing posts with label Unapproachable Light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unapproachable Light. Show all posts

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Unapproachable Light/Mesmerized By The Unknown/2025 EP Review

 


  Unapproachable  Light  are  a  solo  project  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2025  ep  "Mesmerized  By  The  Unknown".


  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  ep  while  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  era.


  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  lot  of  the  music  also  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  then  20  years  ago.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  the  closing  track  also  adding  in  some  spoken  words.


  On  this  recording  Unapproachable  Light  goes  for  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  mysteries  of  nature  and  the  magical  powers  of  light  an  darkness.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Unapproachable  Light  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancient  Eyes  Of  Gold"  and  "Magic  Taphos".  8  out  of  10.


  https://unapproachablelight.bandcamp.com/album/mesmerized-by-the-unknown


Unapproachable Light Facebook


  


  

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Unapproachable Light Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?


Unapproachable Light is from Chicago, IL and plays Black Metal. While it is a new project, a good portion of the music is quite old, many of the riffs and ideas were from the early 2000's. These ideas did not fit with the Barbaric Black/Death band I was a part of then, I took a long break from the "scene" and now I want to continue what I never finished.


2.So far you have released a single, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the track?


I have always enjoyed simple and atmospheric Black Metal like Ancient's "Svartalvheim" and Arckanum's "Kostogher". Those albums had a huge effect on me when they were released, I love the mystical and mysterious atmosphere of these albums. This era is the main influence on Unapproachable Light.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?


Worshiping the mysteries of nature and the magical powers of light and darkness. I also touch on the afterlife, theology and folklore/mythology.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Unapproachable Light'?


The term comes from the bible, it has always struck a chord with me. The name conjures up images of immense power that mere humans could not comprehend, a godhead of mystical energy.  I didn't want a name that conjures up images of evil or satanism, that wouldn't fit with the lyrical subject matter. 


5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the single cover?


It is a logo showing the U and L of the band name, mysterious eyes watch and wait while the ominous light shines. I did not want to use a conventional logo, I like the unorthodox and primitive feel of this one.


6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?


Yes, I recorded everything myself, including playing on an electronic drum set. Future recordings will have acoustic drums. Right now I plan on recording solo, I want to complete all of the ideas I have that have been lying in wait. I am open to working with some close comrades in the future.


7.So far very little is known about the musical project, are you planning on expanding your presence in the future?


Yes I am, the "Silver Dawn" single is a stepping stone. I have a lot of material to work with, and I will be slowly releasing a few more songs by the summer. I was very busy recording and doing session work in the period of 1999 to 2006, then I took a long break for close to 15 years. It feels good to have the creative juices flowing again.


8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?


In the future I would like a label to do a small release like a split 7 inch or EP, I am in no hurry to try to write and release a full length album. I have not received any interest from labels, this project is still unknown to the Black Metal underground.


9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?


To be honest, not many people have heard Unapproachable Light. I am a very solitary person and I don't use social media, so it will be a slow road getting the word out. Tape trading is not a thing anymore, even Metal message boards are pretty much gone, getting the word out is totally different now than is was 20 years ago.


10.When can we expect either an ep or a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?


The music direction will always be atmospheric Black Metal, I will not stray from this style. I cannot say when a physical release will be available, but I will releasing 2-3 new songs in the next few months on my Bandcamp.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


Early to mid nineties Black Metal from Scandinavia, Greece and Poland are my biggest influences, it was a special time.  These days I really don't listen to much Black Metal, only in the winter time do I return to those early albums. I mainly listen to 80's/90's Death Metal/Heavy Metal, 90's Electronic and Synthwave.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?


Thank you for letting me promote Unapproachable Light, if anybody is interested in hearing us, you can go to:https://unapproachablelight.bandcamp.com

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Unapproachable Light/Silver Dawn/2021 Single Review

 


  Unapproachable  Light  are  s  solo  project  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2021  single  "Silver  Dawn".


  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  song  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  track  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  programmed  along  with  all  of  the  vocals  being  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  recording  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  90's  influences.


  Unapproachable  Light  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  traditional  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  to  early  200's  era.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  mysticism  themes.


  In  my  opinion  Unapproachable  Light  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  black  metal  solo  project  and  if   you  are  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  8  out  of  10.