Sunset Forsaken is a freshly formed one-man project of a Russian multi-instrumentalist Andrey Tollock, himself the sole member of the black metal project Heissem. I discovered this gem when I was offered Heissen’s new album "Panacea For A Cursed Race" download for a review (coming soon), and, after hearing it on bandcamp, having requested its electronic files. Was it worth it?

Oh, yes siree. "Chameleon Waters" is a deeply moving experience for any fan of melodic death/doom metal, with any of the usual genre suspects on your mind. Although the album contains just five songs predominantly harkening to the likes of Daylight Dies and Swallow The Sun (the moniker possibly inspired by the latter), they vary between each other as well as within each. There are the hyper-romantic "Remnants Of A Faded Love" and "The Last Revelation" with the aforementioned influence, near gothic metal tracks a’la Paradise Lost Icon/Draconian Times (the title track, especially around 4:30 mark) and the favorite My Dying Bride-ian "Sweet Endless Torture", all crowned with over ten minute Katatonia meets Opeth by the way of My Dying Bride (Catharsis) where Tollock sounds like Mike Hrubovcak (Monstrosity) and Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride). The music is delicious and pleasant with usually Andrey now growling Mikko Kottämaki (Swallow The Sun) style now channeling Jonas Renske (Katatonia) for a cleaner delivery. Bass is audible, distinct and all-encompassing but drums are not flashy, mostly just conforming to the riffs and leads. Multiple revolutions reveal more intricate details for a progressively greater listening pleasure.

"Chameleon Waters" is not a groundbreaking record, but it is superbly written and executed and if you love Daylight Dies, Paradise Lost, Katatonia and My Dying Bride with a varied approach to songwriting and melody this album is as for you as for me.

https://haissem.bandcamp.com/album/chameleon-waters