Michel's Metal Crypt
This is the first release on Bindrune Recordings, and if "For Eternity Brings No Hope" is any indication of things to come, this is a label that won't be releasing copycat bands. I guess the best way I can categorize Shroud of Despondency is to call the music "Blackened Doom Metal". This is nearly 31 minutes of extremely emotional and depressing music that could put many doom metal bands to shame, with a little Black Metal twist added - especially in the vocals, and to some extent some of the musical parts. Throw in a good dose of very well done and emotional, sorrowful acoustic passages and you get a very varied collection of material that has one thing in common: Depressing as hell - and I'm pretty sure this is what the songwriter intended. Despite the fact that this stuff almost makes me want to jump off a cliff, I can't help but think of this as extremely "beautiful" (for lack of a better word) music. That's probably why I keep on playing it rather than succumb to the urge of putting it aside and listening to happier stuff. ;) I guess I could try to ramble for a few paragraphs trying to describe the music, but that would be a pointless effort. This is the kind of music that makes you look at your inner self, so I suggest you pick this up and experience it yourself. Shroud of Despondency is a band to keep an eye out for. Highly recommended. - Michel Renaud

Tragenda Webzine
2//6 This from american one-man band Shroud of Despondency is one of the most primitive black metal album I ever listened to. Nothing bad about that, I was really pleased looking at the booklet and reading the info-sheet with its comparisions with Ulver and other black metal bands I love, 'cause I really like bands who manage to recreate the primitive raw feelings old black metal bands achieved. But when loss of creativity and technical skills are disguised thanks to these subjects it's really hard trying to consider an album without prejudices. As you'd undestand this is the case of this "For Eternity Brings no Hope". An album with good intents but, unfortunately, with just a few ideas moreover ruined by a production in comparision of that early Darkthrone releases seem to be recorded at Fredman Studios. Another weakness are the shrieking vocals a-là Burzum, too strained and effected. The acoustic songs are boring and without feelings, maybe except "The Passing" although it's very inspired by "Ved Steingard ", a track from the memorable Borknagar's selftitled debut. In short, "For Eternity Brings no Hope" is an extremely boring experience which comes close to crap. It has nothing to do with the fact that the black metal genre is deteriorating either, 'cause this had not been good 8-10 years ago either. - Cristina

Delerium Webzine
Shroud Of Despondency is the creation of Rory Heikkila (from death metal band Domain Malevolence). Based in Michigan, Rory used many guest musicians bringing together a swarm of depressive raw sounding black metal. With all the acoutrements necessary to give this album a bitter cold feeling, Shroud Of Despondency succeed in all of the nine tracks featured. The music offers moments of somber subleties with old school black metal vocals which I love. The vocals rip cries of despair, fear, lonliness and pain brought to life via the lyrics in songs like "Night" and "To Burn The Heavens." You can feel the dense icy chill of his Northern Michigan climate best in the winter season thus exhibiting the connection of nature elements to blend with the mood of the album. There is a hint of Ulver in some parts, but Shroud Of Despondency are part of the american black metal scene currently thriving and desrve to be reckoned with!. Contact: Bindrune Recordings, PO Box 426, Mayfield MI 49666. -Ravenna Black

Aversion Online
7/10 - Here we have nine tracks of utterly rugged and bleak melodic black metal from this one-man project out of Michigan. And when I say "rugged and bleak" I'm not kidding. This is just about as primal and raw as it can get. For the most part the atmosphere of this music is true to the roots of black metal. There's a lot of speed and aggression, plus absolutely vicious vocal screams... but there's also emotion. And in this case I think that emotion, when combined with an excellent sense of melody that is never shunned, makes for a really interesting album that shows a wealth of promise. Take for instance the acoustic/synth instrumentals like "The Emptiness in My Tears" and "Something of Nothing". Sure, the performance is not quite as tight as it could be, but the writing is absolutely superb. I haven't heard harmony lines this memorable or innovative in quite a long time. Of course there's a Scandinavian influence on some level, how could there not be? But I feel that the writing here displays a great deal of originality. It's not too simple, not too technical, not too fast, not too slow... there's a little bit of everything. I can hear riffs that scream Darkthrone, and I can hear lead bursts that have Slayer written all over them. This is not your average one-sided go for the throat/attack and repeat type of black metal record. The recording is very rough. I don't mind it, but I think a slightly different (though equally raw) sound might be more beneficial to the music that Shroud of Despondency has to offer. In this case, the drums are somewhat distant and muddy, and the guitars seem to have more midrange than usual (which is good because there's not a lot of biting treble, but there's also a certain lack of clarity as well). The vocals sound nice though, I really like the layering effects, and they blend in perfectly with the guitars. I can make out some low-end rumblings here and there, but the basslines need to play a larger role. The mix is even enough for this production quality to work out, however (though there are some inconsistencies from song to song). The lyrics purge tales of bitter depression and hopelessness, "I rise at night to crucify the bodies of those who have never known the torment of my life..." "Sleep well - do not awake, Eyes open to the filth of the 'earthly delights', Perhaps I missed something..." The layout is only slight different from the norm for the genre, using faintly tinted black and white photos of winter landscapes and the usual fonts you'd see on most any old black metal records you have in your collection. Overall, this is a great debut from both the band and the label, though despite its strengths there is room for improvement. I think the performance needs to be tightened up, and the recording should more consistently represent the feeling and the talent present in the music. But I absolutely love the instrumental tracks, and I am certain that future efforts from this project will really start to turn some heads. - Andrew Westerhouse

Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles
From the deep dark forests of the Michigan area, this one man black metal machine, creates quite the depressing , disturbing and depraved offering. The tortured soul behind this release, Rory Heikkila surely knows how to capture that feeling of desperation and utter despair; primitive and moody raw black metal progressions amongst pitched screams of anguish lace this entire release. Interspersed between the black metal songs, comes a pleasantry in the form of cool acoustic numbers that kinda remind me of a nice blend of a more folkish Death In June and Cat Stevens/Don McLean! Hopefully the latter reference there doesn't offend, but this release surely will find its way to those who need a motivating factor for some kind of bloodletting or self-inflicting pain. - Chris Bruni 6.5

Metal Nightmare
This is a different project of Rory Heikkila of DOMAIN MALEVOLENCE infamy. It's also very different from his other band. Instead of melodic black/death metal, SHROUD OF DESPONDENCY features a lot of rough black metal in the old vein, with the old spirit. Still melodic, but very cold and heartless. But hold on... many of the songs here are also acoustic pieces, showing yet another side of Rory's talents. Somehow, there's still a definite blackness in these songs, but these tracks will appeal to many people who enjoy classical guitar and not black metal. Still, I'd kind of like to see this kind of stuff broken off into a project under a different name. Either that, or throw more black metal on here to balance things out better. - Tom Wren

Eternal Frost Webzine
Here's some unusual black metal out of Michigan, all performed by one person. One-man black metal bands are always hit-or-miss, usually because such bands employ crappy sounding drum machines. Shroud of Despondency, however, blends together a number of black metal elements, most noticably from the Norse and American styles, to make for a rather refreshing listen.... What makes For Eternity Brings No Hope really stand out from the pack is Rory's liberal use of melodically melancholic clean guitar layered over the main raw black metal core. Seriously, this is some depressing music! Rory's vocals are pure black metal--full of hatred and tempered by an indescribable sadness that fits the music perfectly (somewhat similar to Burzum). There are a few instrumental pieces amidst the black metal butchery and one in particular, "The Emptiness in My Tears", kind of took me by surprise as, at first, it sounds slightly upbeat, then moves into depressing territory. Nice juxtaposition! Quite honestly, there's not one filler track in the entire nine. There's enough variation here to appease many a jaded black metal legionnaire.... This is the CD debut for both Bindrune Recordings and Shroud of Despondency and boasts a quality layout, making excellent use of snow imagery and lyrics that will no doubt bring to mind thoughts of self-destruction. It can be said with all confidence that these two entities are a welcome addition to the underground. American black metal has been making its mark on the scene with a vengeance and Shroud of Despondency is definitely another band adding fuel to the fire! - Goden

Tombstone Webzine
No hope indeed. I can't simply understand what this label found to these guys and signed them, I just hope their other bands are better than this thing. They are playing raw and brutal black metal influenced by the American scene but their music is so bad that it is a miracle someone actually invested some money to release it on a CD. The production is actually tragic and the music is very close to tragedy as well. Especially the screams and growls the man has recorded for vocals are absolutely horrible. The music is similarly bad and honestly you have to try really hard to find anything to like in this album. This is bad, bad, bad, bad. Probably among the worst things I have heard in my whole life and I simply can't find enough words to describe it. Don't waste your time and money with them. June 2002 - 1/10

Maelstrom Web Mag
I have tremendous respect for Marty Rytkonen, the driving force behind Wormgear Zine. Wormgear was and still is the model I look up to the most in terms of the quality and honesty of its coverage of the underground and the interest of its interviews. I know I can always read Wormgear and find stimulating interviews with artists that, despite maybe not being familiar with their work or maybe not even ultimately liking it, will always have something to say. So when I got word that Marty was starting his own label, Bindrune, I was thrilled.... The debut release on Bindrune is Shroud of Despondency, a one-man black metal project from Michigan. Bindrune promotes Shroud of Despondency as being like Ulver. Even as I read the promotional blurb for it now, I get excited. The only problem is that not only is it not like Ulver, it's honestly one of the worst black metal albums I've ever heard.... It's common for the black metal projects in this style to shoot for a sound that is usually described as "wintry." The sound is supposed to invoke images of snow-covered, forgotten woods where hardly any life dwells except maybe some trolls and the hallowed spirits of the truest black metal musicians. Shroud of Despondency is certainly shooting for this energy. However, something has gone horribly awry. It sounds like winter has begun its transition into spring. All the snow has begun to melt - it's not the warm and soothing energy of spring, which would be welcome, but rather this icky in-between period of slushy snow.... To put it more simply, For Eternity Brings No Hope is a huge, sloppy mess. The atrocious tone is probably the main culprit for this, but the compositions are pretty bad. I'm not alone in this. To illustrate, I'll tell you this little story. I lent the CD to Wrest of the brilliant black metal project Leviathan - another man whom I have tremendous respect for - in hopes that I could find some angle of appreciation. A few days later I got a phone message whose content was verbatim: "I've laid more interesting fecal patterns in the commode than Shroud of Despondency." It's important to also know that Wrest is the biggest black metal and music junkie I know.... And so this is the problem of trying to have a responsible, honest zine. I hate to burn my friends, but I can't in good conscience recommend Shroud of Despondency. With this said, please note that I also hate Krieg because of the absurd, unpleasant, chaotic and haphazard nature of its music. Wrest also dislikes Krieg, although not as intensely as I. Shroud of Despondency struck me somewhat in the same way that Krieg has in the past, especially on The Plague, so maybe you may find something worthwhile in this recording, yet. - Roberto

Unrestrained! #20
From the upper part of Michigan, this one-man band (how come it are so often the single member projects that end up being so good in this genre?) plays emotional and melancholic black metal that ranges the gambit from slow to mid-paced to full-on blast. The unconventional, atonal riffing reminds one of Burzum and especially Ved Buens Ende, but with a characteristic American touch, if this makes any sense. All of this is "shrouded" in a modest, almost "organic" production for the full "forest atmosphere" effect, not far off from Wyrd, reviewed elsewhere, but... different. Tracks like "Night" and "Upon This Planet of Waste" serve as good examples of the rich personality of this band, both interesting pieces in themselves, but what makes Shroud of Despondency stand out the most for me are the acoustic instrumentals. Produced in a different time and place from the rest of the recording, yet nonetheless smoothly complimenting the whole, the four instrumentals on this disc, especially the last, "Something of Nothing" are truly special. One can't help but imagine stalactites hanging from caves with deep woods surrounding them up in the northern plains when listening to these compositions, sitting out in the dark, cooking marshmallows on the fire, full of profound thoughts and memories. "Is the music up there in space as good as this?" The perception is bolstered in no small measure by a very tasteful production, and, of course, the nature imagery that adorns the booklet. And to think... this is only the first CD this Heikkila guy has ever recorded. What could come next? Those that claim the USBM scene is stagnant and only generates unoriginal bands should take a listen to Shroud of Despondency and judge again. <Yury Arkadin> -8-

Metal Maniacs
For Eternity Brings No Hope is one of the Most primitive recordings I've ever heard, thought it definitely has some musical merit. A cheap recording is not necessarily a problem with raw black metal, but to say that this album sounds like a rehearsal tape with acoustic interludes is not an exaggeration. However, since Shroud of Despondency's omni-member Rory Heikkila plays every instrument, live rehearsal may prove to be difficult. While a raw sound can be the appropriate choice for hateful/chaotic/primal music, the guitar tones on the aggressive tracks of this album sound too digitally fragile, as if they did not come from a blasting amp, but just some sort of computer hookup. The drums apparently never went near a mixing board, and sound as if they were recorded with just one or two microphones-the snare almost always sounds as if it is peaking. Things like tempo lulls/skips, mis-fingering on the fretboard, and questionable tuning are common occurrences, so technicians might want to keep their distance from the Shroud... The first song on the album, "Sleep Well (Do Not Awake)", is surprisingly interesting and deep. The songs basic building block is a strong rhythmic thrash hook played in tandem with some somber arpeggio. The very bizarre discordant melody which claws out of the haze (0:12-0:24 and 1:52-2:05) gives the song a unique sound and the switch to triple meter (at 3:33) brings about a lurching climax. Hooks, ingenuity, progression and some wild screaming (in the Burzum fashion) distinguish this tune as first rate Amerikult. Unfortunately, nothing on the rest of the album exceeds or even comes particularly close to meeting the standard of quality that this song sets. The primary melody of "My Final Autumn" is too chipper and "To Burn the Heavens" seems arbitrarily put together. The Aborym-styled black metal impressions of "Upon This Planet of Waste" is enjoyable as is "Night", thought both songs seem not quite complete somehow. The rest of the album is comprised of acoustic guitar pieces that alternately remind of Led Zepplin "Bron-Yr-Aur" (on Zep's best album "Physical Graffiti") or Black Sabbath's "Fluff". Shroud's interludes get better as the album progresses, and the final one, entitled "Something of Nothing", is the second best cut on the album with its jazzy twin harmonies and ambiguous progression. I look forward (and expect) Shroud Of Despondency to make a better second album. S. Craig Zahler

Metal Judgement
Disclaimer: Americans shouldn't play black metal.... I'm not saying they can't play it. I'm just saying it loses something, like white guys rapping or something. Black Metal to me is something atavistic and primitive yes, but more importantly Black Metal is built upon Norwegian/European frustration; a backlash against forced Christian idealism that attempted to eradicate a culture in the name of progress, even if some of the minds behind that backlash are a little on the national socialist side... Now let's talk about Americans playing Black Metal. The United States was built on white Euro guys slaughtering this country's native peoples, "Westernizing" them through their religion and culture. Then they enslaved Africans to work on that same land. If anyone in this country should be playing Black Metal, it should be Native Americans and African Americans because Christianity did the same thing to them that it did to Norwegian culture. Of course, for African Americans, Hip Hop would be their equivalent of Black Metal; a subversive genre of music, which over time lost its focus in favor of commerciality. So I guess it's up to Native Americans to start some Black Metal bands.... Now with that in mind, Shroud of Despondency is complete and total Burzum worship. Except it's not Varg, it's some guy from Michigan. Varg is God-like in his creative genius. This guy is from Michigan. Basically this has a very raw, very lo-fi recording, which gives it good atmosphere, but for the most part, it's just 3rd rate Burzum. Also, there's a George Carlin sample, which is funny to me, but not very metal. Instead of getting this go pick up Filosofem and feel the wrath of cold winds from Norway, not Michigan.

Transcending the Mundane
Shrouds Of Despondency is the debut offering of Bindrune Recordings, an alliance between Wormgear's Marty Rytkonen and Crionic Mind's Scott Candey. For Eternity Brings No Hope is the work of one artist, Kory Heikkila, who apparently resides in Michigan. This recording sits firmly in the realm of black metal but surprisingly half the music is acoustic. When the ominous acoustics are not emplyed, Shrouds Of Desponency goes on the attack with vicious old school black metal. The shocking contrast in style is so effective because Kory is such a skilled acoustic guitarist and because there is nearly a perfect balance between the acoustic instrumental and the electric extremeness. The production is suitedly raw and esoteric. You old Ulver fans will love this. www.crionicmind.org. Album Score: 8 out of 10 Reviewed By: Brett VanPut

Dragon Flight #7
Ok were do I start this is a new label formed by Worm gear magazine & Crionic mind for metal releases and this is there debut. All I can say is this is really lo fi shitty demos on a 4 track that should have never been released. Then mixed in are some folk/neoclassical guitar tracks, which don't work at all. If you want a good version of lo fi Blackmetal get Krieg or Grand Belials key. I hope there Next release Misery omen lives up to the hype, as this was just terrible.