Origin: Russia
Formed: 2007
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Status: Active
Label: Eerie Torture
Themes: Loneliness, Depression
Not Last Rise is an atmospheric black metal project founded in 2007 in Stavropol, later relocating to Saint Petersburg, and closely tied to the Stavropol Nekrodivizion, one of the most distinctive and influential underground circles in Russian depressive and atmospheric black metal. Alongside acts such as Deathmoor, Lashblood, Asthenic Syn, ChristInvertion/Sin Kruzifix, Moriturus/Karna, and SS‑18, Not Last Rise helped define the region’s bleak, introspective, and emotionally corrosive sound.
From the beginning, the project embraced a raw, sorrow‑laden aesthetic rooted in themes of loneliness, depression, and existential collapse. The music is characterized by cold tremolo riffs, distant screams, and a suffocating atmosphere that reflects the emotional desolation central to the Stavropol scene. Not Last Rise’s sound sits at the intersection of atmospheric black metal and depressive black metal, with a strong emphasis on mood, repetition, and emotional weight rather than technicality.
The band’s first official release was the Demo (2012), a lo‑fi and emotionally stark recording that captured the project’s early identity: bleak, minimalistic, and deeply introspective. The demo circulated within the Nekrodivizion network and helped establish Not Last Rise as a rising force in the depressive atmospheric underground.
In 2013, the project released its first full‑length, Sfumato, a work that expanded the band’s sonic palette while maintaining its raw emotional core. The album blends melancholic melodies with harsh, anguished vocals and a dense, fog‑like atmosphere. Its title—borrowed from the artistic technique of soft tonal blending—reflects the album’s blurred emotional contours and its focus on dissolving boundaries between sorrow, memory, and inner void. Sfumato is widely regarded as the project’s defining statement, capturing the essence of Stavropol’s depressive black metal ethos.
Not Last Rise’s lineup has long been anchored by Vladislav Eol, whose guitar work and tortured vocal delivery form the emotional backbone of the project. His involvement in numerous other underground acts—Deathmoor, Kveldhall, Sternatis, Veter Daemonaz, Bezletie, Black Flux, and others—places him among the most prolific and influential musicians of the Nekrodivizion circle. The rhythm section, featuring Arcana on bass and Noersyl Skept on drums, reinforces the project’s bleak, oppressive sound with steady, ritualistic precision.
Despite periods of silence and the project’s complex activity timeline (2007–2015, then revived), Not Last Rise remains active and continues to embody the emotional extremity and atmospheric depth that define the Stavropol underground. Their work stands as a testament to the region’s unique contribution to Russian black metal: raw, sorrowful, and unflinchingly honest.
Vladislav Eol – guitars, vocals
Also in: Bezletie, Black Flux, Deathmoor, Kveldhall, Sternatis, The Initiation, Veter Daemonaz, ex‑Pyre, ex‑Serpentrance, ex‑Thou Shalt Fall, ex‑Terrörhammer (live)
Arcana – bass
Noersyl Skept – drums
Also in: Bezletie, Black Flux, Deathmoor, Kveldhall, Sternatis, The Initiation, Veter Daemonaz, ex‑Pyre, ex‑Serpentrance, ex‑Thou Shalt Fall, ex‑Terrörhammer (live)
Demo
Demo (2012)
Full‑lengths
Sfumato (2013)