https://youtu.be/CXFH32sm1Nc
Band info
Band: The World Sleeps Beneath
Album: ‘You Were Never For Me When I Needed You The Most‘
Genre: atmospheric black metal
Released: July 25th, 2025
Location: Canada
Review
From the remnants of a traumatic past experience comes The World Sleeps Beneath, an antifascist queer solo project from Canada that channels grief into melody and fury into healing. And, girl, you can feel every bit of emotion poured into it.
At first glance, this debut might seem aligned with DSBM, but whereas depressive BM often dwells in despair and can feel quite static, The World Sleeps Beneath‘ melodic phrasing carries a more hopeful kind of melancholy – even when the melodies literally ache. Rather than painting vast landscapes, from an amtoblack POV, she builds an atmosphere that’s immediate and intentional, the kind that sticks to your chest and your brain and doesn’t let go. And, beneath the tremolos and layered guitars, there’s even a raw emotional hint of screamo; not in the structure, but fiercely in the cracked, desperate vocals, like a reclamation of vulnerability within the world of black metal.
A four-song EP that immediately grabs you with a tremolo-picked riff that’s cold as ice, only to break into a soaring vocal line that’s both desperate and empowering. Summarising, ‘You Were Never There For Me When I Needed You The Most‘ is rawness and technical precision serving as unfiltered emotion.
The World Sleeps Beneath is yet another reminder that black metal isn’t meant to solely enforce anger, armed struggle, or reactionary/fascist politics. Like music in general, black metal is a tool that TWSB has chosen to use for healing, defiance, and growth. It has wrenched our guts, yet we still hope this is only the beginning of a long trajectory for TWSB; one forged in a safe, supportive context, yet carried by the same iron passion of this debut.