Critique requires work. This is a truth understood by the AMG reviewer, Hegel, and Labor of the Negative. An international black metal project, Labor of the Negative derives its name from Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, which posits said labor as a cognitive antidote to romantic truths found via intuition. Not content to let Hegel be the only George Friedrich they cite, the band references The Triumph of Time and Disillusion, a Händel oratorio, for the title of their debut. Arriving via I, Voidhanger Records—the perfect home for Labor of the Negative’s heady brand of avant-garde black metal—the album draws philosophical inspiration from more than Hegel: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and especially Durkheim (as we’ll see).1 But I’ll be sticking with Hegel, letting his infamous dialectic—thesis, antithesis, synthesis—guide my analysis and evaluation of The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned.
But first, some context. Boasting members from Portugal, the UK, Norway, and Egypt, Labor of the Negative cross-reference genre luminaries in assembling their own bizarre bricolage. Claiming roots in the avant-garde black metal of Virus, Arcturus, and Dødheimsgard, guitarist S. and drummer T.Z. lay a foundation of trem riffs and blast beasts, phaser-drenched disso-melodies and double-bass-fueled tom-work. Thankfully, bassist J.H. doesn’t get lost in the mix, especially in making pulsating shifts from menacing to jazzy gears. In these softer sections, brass instrumentation (presumably from guest musician S.L.) takes the spotlight, giving this otherwise chaotic album a counterbalancing sultriness.2 The artsiness of The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned, however, primarily stems from the deranged vocals of M., who screams, howls, shouts, grunts, and coughs. M.’s performance, wielding the human voice as an abrasively multifaceted instrument, reminds me of how A Forest of Stars and Portal similarly embrace alienating vocals. Not as alienating as one might expect is the production, feeling legibly claustrophobic during the black metal maelstroms and organically spacious during the jazzy reprieves. The guitars do get a little buried at times, and snare pops occasionally prickle the ear. Nevertheless, The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned succeeds at sounding like sculpted estrangement.
The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned by LABOR OF THE NEGATIVE
Turning now to my Hegelian thesis means turning to The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned as a whole. Holistically, the album provides a mostly enjoyable experience, considering its subgenre. At 7 tracks in 34 minutes, Labor of the Negative smartly chose to make their debut a concise burst of avant-garde black metal. Six successive “Epoché”s structure The Triumph of Time, each being of similar, digestible lengths (4–6 minutes). An instrumental interlude (“151 – The Eternal Present and the Endless Dream”) breaks up the procession of epochs with feedbacky noise and variegated drumming. The album consistently ebbs and flows between scathing black metal and soothing jazz breaks that open (“Epoché II”), close (“Epoché IV”), and bridge (“Epoché III”) the madness. While this interplay keeps the album sonically dynamic, it also becomes a bit formulaic.
This holistic predictability leads us to my antithesis. When pressed upon, none of the individual tracks on The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned stand out. Pre-release single “Epoché III” comes closest, with its eerie guitar shimmers and adventurous key changes. But ultimately, the album feels less like a sequencing of memorable songs and more like a collection of cool moments: the squealing brass solo in opener “Epoché I” comes to mind, as does the concluding drumroll of “Epoché VI.” One might think that diving into The Triumph of Time’s concept can clarify how the parts contribute to the whole. Alas, my exploration of the lyrics created more confusion. According to my research, “Epoché IV” twice cites Durkheim to convey crises of belonging and aimlessness. How this relates to a succession of epochs, or a fourth epoch in particular, I am unsure.3
Synthesizing the good album experience and the disappointing songwriting, The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned ultimately landed for me as a mixed affair. While I never truly disliked any time I spent with Labor of the Negative’s debut, I also never found myself desiring to further unpack this album that, seemingly, invites unpacking. Fans of avant-garde black metal, however, should give The Triumph of Time a go. M.’s maniacal vocals strike me as a worthy intervention into the genre, as does T.Z.’s dexterous drumming. With more ears, perhaps the fruit of this international collective’s labor might positively reveal itself.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: I, Voidhanger Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2026
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