Review by George Stiglic on April 6, 2025.

How about diving into an atmosphere of medieval magic and mystique? Elegy Of Phantom Pain by Apostate offers just that. After a somewhat prolonged three-minute keyboard intro, we’re introduced to a compelling display of dark, atmospheric, old-school black metal.

The musicians clearly took inspiration from the '90s, with the primary association being EVOL—but played in a heavier black metal style. This influence is particularly evident in the title track, 'Elegy Of Phantom Pain', down to specific guitar techniques, such as occasional palm-muted passages. The vocals, on the other hand, reminded me of the Swiss band Fosth.

The album's riffs are classic angry tremolo patterns, written for a single guitar, evoking nostalgia for the '90s. Occasionally, the tonal of the riff is duplicated by keyboard lines—usually flute—which conjures a haunting, medieval atmosphere. Sometimes the synthesizer even takes the lead, while the guitar chords serve as a backdrop. The music isn’t overly complex, but that’s not its aim. The musicians’ primary goal seems to be to create a mysterious, medieval ambiance, which they accomplish remarkably well.

While the riffs are generally straightforward, their structure hints that these musicians are far from beginners and have considerable experience. The album comprises six tracks, two of which are the intro and outro, leaving us with four long (up to 10 minutes) atmospheric black metal songs. The length might seem daunting, but in the right setting—at night, in the dark, before sleep—the album passes by seamlessly, leaving a satisfying sense of nostalgia.

The lyrics appear inspired by local Italian medieval legends. A drawback, however, is the use of a drum machine; a live drummer would have been more fitting for '90s-inspired music. The intro and outro, while compositionally sound, also feel a bit stretched, though it’s clear the musicians were aiming for immersion.

The album is quite high quality in its specific way and I can safely recommend it to all fans of 90s black metal!

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 9, 2022.

Eric Wagner definitely has a prestigious enough career to be worthy of this solo album treatment. The posthumous nature of In The Lonely Light Of Morning makes it even more special and noteworthy. The songs here are still in the doom fashion but with a bit more of a singer-songwriter vibe. They showcase the passionate side of Eric Wagner and serve as a fitting tribute to him. Sure, it could be argued that the best Trouble material is more exciting, but this is still another worthwhile addition to the artist’s cannon. Songs ooze groove and a sing along nature that is welcome to behold.

In The Lonely Light Of Morning is structured to progressively show the passionate nature of the singer and the album does become a bit more interesting as it progresses. Interestingly, it is about as heavy as the latest Trouble material with Wagner present and serves as a nice continuation from it. The gradual crescendo for the album displays a nice way to end off the legendary vocalist. The vocal performance is pretty spotless, and the nice production expounds on this. Still, the album isn’t perfect and perhaps suffers from the fact that it could have been even more subtle than it is.

Nonetheless this is a good tribute to a vocalist that has provided us with plenty of solid material over the years. It has the right breath or scope to showcase his talent in a doomy fashion, just as he would have liked it. The amount of groove nicely matches his voice and makes the tracks even more poignant. The future of Eric Wagner’s presence is highly positive, and he will be remembered in a nice manner. This is a solid commemoration to him and showcases his signature style well. It comes highly recommended to Wagner’s large fanbase.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10