Battle Of Mice
A Day Of Nights

"A Day of Nights documents the savage trajectory of an interpersonal flameout. It is a litany of ominous overtones and malicious subtext, a catalogue of the poisons that conspire to choke our best intentions; a testament to the inexorable miasma of suspicion and paranoia that creeps, unannounced, into the open spaces between us all." 

As noted in the bio, this gem was born from a "conflict" between two minds, namely Josh Graham (guitarist/keyboardist of Red Sparowes and visual for Neurosis) and Julie Christmas (vocalist of Made Out Of Babies), who had already participated in "Triad" where their respective bands appeared along with the new Battle Of Mice.

A conflict that first razed everything to the ground and then found the right way to build this small monument called "A Day Of Nights".
If Red Sparowes are not very convincing due to their excessive derivation from certain post-rock, especially from Godspeed You Black Emperor!, or if Made Out Of Babies sometimes seem a bit flat and tedious despite some really interesting elements, this meeting/clash point between the two bands manages to unite the evocative atmospheres of Red Sparowes with the psychosis and morbidity of the voice of Made Out Of Babies (in my opinion one of the most expressive and beautiful voices in the musical panorama, extreme and otherwise).
Someone rightly compared her to Pj Harvey, but the latter definitely does not transmit all the anguish, paranoia, and negativity as Julie Xmas.
And if in her band the cadence and schizophrenia of her voice often made the songs have verses almost like children's lullabies, here it is more tormented and at times really desperate.
What results is a record rich in pathos and beauty, where the Neurosisian rage finds new outlets and dilution towards extremely dark and evocative atmospheres, cold and at times industrial.
This record is a testament to what it means to be able to interpret in a personal and unique way the lessons of Neurosis, a lesson that has often been followed with little personality and insufficient reworking (see Cult Of Luna).

In fact, the interpretation of what we call post-core here is very balanced, mature, and fascinating.
While the doom cadence of some songs is immediately traceable to the masters Neurosis, others have distinct dark-wave influences that drag the listener into a truly palpable dark dimension, at times funereal and horrific.
A merit of the record is certainly the production and well-balanced sounds: modern enough, cold but not sterile, which do not lose the "physical" impact of the musical proposal.
The album is a continuous immersion and resurfacing in the human soul, an introspection that has not found space in the records of Red Sparowes and Made Out Of Babies.
The songs are a succession of emotions, and the Neurot roster can boast one of the best qualitatively of the "underground".  
If you want a valid, real alternative to Neurosis that is not Isis (after the half-disappointment of "In The Absence Of Truth"), buy it without hesitation.
Brilliant and unique, an album that was a very welcome surprise this autumn and certainly a contender for the best of the year.

Frightening.