Review by Alex on December 3, 2018.

This effort by Terranaut and Chaosophy whom contrast each other greatly in terms of playing styles and genres is an interesting release when analyzing both the production quality and the musical standards of both these projects. Terranaut plays a form of early 2nd wave black metal mixed with raw black metal, hence the loudly mixed guitars and the almost inaudible bass guitar. Chaosophy however, play a form of black metal that can be aligned with the more melodic side of the genre, also the production is noticeably cleaner than that of Terranaut on the split recording. Terranaut’s sound creates the impression that the band members intended to put forth something that appeared to mimic the time in which 1st wave black metal was transitioning into the era of second wave black metal. This incorporated the use of keyboards and possessed either a fairly symphonic or melodic sound. It's a clash of old and modern eras of black metal, both performances pick at the selected time frames in a decent representation of both. 

Terranaut’s side of the split is filled with massive landscapes that blends melancholy along with the pagan influenced style of black metal. “Foretold Demise” is the best example of the merging of theses two styles. The soaring guitar tremolo shares the spotlight with that folky style often heard on pagan black metal records. “Remnants” focuses more on creating a fierce, warlike atmosphere; the thrashing segment on this track comes across as a very convincing nod to first wave black metal. Though this effect was not used as long as I would have liked it to be, for its short lived presence it did do enough to give the music enough depth. Opening with an instrumental I can accept, but closing with one is often rejected by my musical preference in composition choices. However, “Futile Legacy” was excellently composed and gave Terranaut’s portion of the split a greater feeling of completion and even helped in the ushering in of the Chaosophy side. I see this a very thoughtful move as it shows that Terranaut is committed to the long term goal of success. 

Chaosophy’s side of the split features 3 songs that are roughly 8 minutes a piece. “Whores of The Christ God” begins with a short instrumental that bursts into a melodic groovy fury of sickening snarls that conveys the feeling of hatred excellently. The song title is blasphemous enough but the vocals really up the tempo on the disdain. This track also has the addition of synth that is exquisite whenever used; in those moments I felt as though I was listening to Lost Horizon’sA Flame To The Ground Beneath. “Serpents of Thoughtless Light” kept the keyboard synth in the slower sections of the song but lowered the volume of its mix to blend with the guitar landscapes being painted. He track displayed the transition of speed and graceful melody back and forth. It’s a piece of music that deserves much praise for elegantly mixing styles in a harmonious fashion. It doesn’t sound like parts were tossed in to just fulfill the purpose of variation, instead it displays to the listener how each note played on any musical piece should be connected in order to present an authentic representation of the feelings and themes being expressed through the medium. 

Both bands provided acceptable performances on the split, with each doing a fantastic job of keeping the atmospheric influence high. 

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Fran on November 20, 2023.

Suffocation’s new record keeps the same style their reunion albums had (2002-present) but at the same time shows some improvements in the production, while the composition remains astonishingly dark, complex, aggressive and well thought as always. Even if it's not perfect -vocals aren't as strong as they were- it's still a pretty enjoyable album. The addition of a new guitarist instead of Guy Marchais gives the album a fresh feeling, specially in the solo section. He is definitely a gifted player but doesn't display excessive wankery, his playing sounds more obscure than technical.

In terms of composition, we have the same old Suffocation: brutal, technical but not so much and definitely evil and demented. There's blasts beats everywhere, heavy breakdowns and perfectly well written solos. Gutturals delivered by Frank Mullen have changed over the years but still are a trademark sound from the band, just as the Suffo blast or Terrance’s solos and riffs. The new guitarist’s solos are a little bit more academic; I heard some sweep picking I bet it's really hard to play but he manages to do it in a gloomy, gnarly fashion that fits the rest of the music perfectly. Production wise, it still sounds pretty modern like the other reunion albums, but this time everything sounds “less digital” than on their previous record; particularly the drumming, that is superb. Drums have a nice acoustic sound, you can hear changes in the dynamics of the player, it sounds human and not over-compressed, which I consider a big plus. The same goes with guitars, that feature a nice, sharp and dirty tube distortion. Bass is present all over the mix, with a nice metallic tone on the high end, also with some slight distortion that perfectly anchors the guitars with the percussive section. Excellent mix.

Overall I wouldn't say this is the band's best record, but it isn't that much below their golden era records, which also speaks well about the band being consistent in each records quality. Pick it up if you're a fan of the genre, after all this band is its godfather. You won't regret.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on June 23, 2017.

Suffocation bring a brutal style to the table. The riffs here are cavernous and invoke immediate pleasure. However, they aren’t quite interesting enough to completely enrapture the listener. Instead, they weave a slow and punishing aura around you. This is music that makes a jackhammer like presence available.

There is an ability to make for headbanging moods with the music. However, it is not punishing enough to do anything more than that and sticks to a mid temp throughout. This medium pace seems to be what Suffocation enjoys working with and they bring forth an average momentum at most occasions. The guitar riffs are produced fairly clearly to have a moderate impact upon the listener. There isn’t anything to become overly excited about, however, as the music can be slightly generic at times. Don’t think this is at the same level as something like Six Feet Under, however, because this band is more interesting than that. There is brutality present with the band, but they are able to make their songs complex enough that they are quite listenable. This makes for an exciting form of death metal writing. It is quite enthralling to hear a balanced death metal outfit perform to the maximum of their potential. The balance between chaos and technicality makes for something entertaining to listen to at all times. It also offers a well-rounded viewpoint to a band that some people might think is one-dimensional.

The music still isn’t the most varied ever and becomes somewhat monotonous on further listens. Still, there is enough variation to make for a quality death metal effort. Compared to other releases from the genre by the likes of Morbid Angel and otherwise, this stacks up favorably. It doesn’t surpass the best of Morbid Angel, but there is enough to like to make ...Of Dark Light surpass the last couple of efforts from that band.  

Rating: 7.3 out of 10