And Now the Owls Are Smiling: The Atmospheric Sound of UK Black Metal
And Now the Owls Are Smiling is the atmospheric black metal solo project of English multi-instrumentalist Nre. Originating from the rural landscapes of Suffolk, the project has carved a distinct niche within the UK black metal scene through a series of critically acclaimed albums that explore themes of nature, melancholy, and existential dread.
Early career
Nre formally launched And Now the Owls Are Smiling in 2017, channeling the isolation of the East Anglian countryside into his music. The project's first release, the 2018 EP Solitude, was self-released and immediately established a signature sound of raw, melodic black metal intertwined with folk-inspired passages and dense, depressive atmospheres.
Breakthrough
The project's breakthrough arrived with the 2019 debut full-length album, The Comforting Grip of Misery. Released via the Slovakian label Immortal Frost Productions, the album received widespread praise from underground metal media for its cohesive and immersive sound. This release solidified the project's reputation and led to increased distribution across Europe.
Key tracks
The Comforting Grip of Misery — This title track from the debut album encapsulates the project's core sound, blending harsh vocals with haunting melodic guitar lines.
Solitude — As the lead track from the first EP, it introduced listeners to the project's foundational themes of isolation and natural despair.
This Is Where Hope Ends — A pivotal track from the 2021 album Dirges, noted for its expansive structure and deeply melancholic atmosphere.
Dirges — The opening song from the sophomore album demonstrates a maturation in songwriting, incorporating more pronounced doom and post-metal influences.
Following Dirges, And Now the Owls Are Smiling continued its prolific output with the 2023 album Epitaph. This release saw Nre further refining his atmospheric approach, creating a more textured and dynamically complex listening experience that maintained the project's depressive black metal roots while exploring darker ambient territories.
Fans of the introspective and nature-focused side of black metal should also explore similar artists featured on our site. Winterfylleth shares a deep connection with English landscape and history. Fen explores similar atmospheric and post-black metal soundscapes. My Dying Bride offers the same thematic depth and melancholic weight, though within the doom metal genre.
The evocative music of And Now the Owls Are Smiling has earned regular rotation on specialty metal radio stations and online radio streams dedicated to extreme and atmospheric music. Independent music radio stations with a focus on underground metal frequently feature tracks from albums like Dirges and Epitaph in their programming, introducing the project to new audiences seeking depth and atmosphere.
Listeners can discover the haunting atmospheric black metal of And Now the Owls Are Smiling through the curated playlists of radio stations available on onairium.com. Tune in to hear this distinctive UK artist alongside other pioneering voices in the genre.
