Albert Camus goes black metal on Mindwanderer’s debut

Mindwanderer’s Elucidation/Rumination is one of these thousands of solo projects that, despite taking so much time and effort, flutter through the digital realm without ever being noticed.

Regardless of the availability of social media and its myriad tools to connect with audiences, the reality is that labels and PR still reign supreme when it comes to marketing new projects.

But even with the backing of the music industry, some projects fail to reach their intended audience. Sometimes, adversity is to blame, but miscalculations on the part of the artist or the label may happen as well.

The chief reason why a project fails to capture an audience, though, is often its lack of originality. In this regard, Mindwanderer’s first release is a total success, as Elucidation/Rumination is a chilling still life painted with brilliant strokes of post-black metal and blackgaze.

While I primarily write about death metal, I decided, with Mindwanderer, to wander into realms unknown. This Montrealer’s two-track debut was the perfect introduction to the sonic fusion of black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock.

The result is a spacey and frigid sonic voyage that, while relaxing, keeps you on edge with its inclusion of black metal screams.

At 23 minutes and 4 seconds, the EP never outstays its welcome. The music flows without ever dwelling too long over a single motif. In fact, I wish some parts repeated over a few more measures.

One of the highlights is the inclusion of Albert Camus reading a passage of “Noces,” which is overlaid over the Montrealier’s crystalline guitar work. You can hear the sample of the French philosopher’s on the second track, Elucidation. 

My only real gripe with Elucidation/Rumination is the lack of acoustic drums. Now, Mindwanderer made sure to make the programmed drums sound as natural as possible, and while not a given, I believe a session drummer would have added an extra layer of groove and fragility to an otherwise very human-sounding release.

Keep in mind that this is a very minor gripe, as Mindwanderer’s debut will remain in heavy rotation for a long time. Now you too can start spinning Mindwanderer’s debut on Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms.