Although I am far from the first to stick my flag in the lunar surface of this particular moon reviews wise here, I have fleetingly traversed its shores before and always appreciated what I have heard. This is atmospheric black metal done in style by sole innovator Jacob Buczarski of Portland Oregon and on this the fifth full length album of the project we have five hefty tracks spanning over the course of almost an hour’s worth of music. It’s been a decade since he first ventured out into orbit and landed with ‘The Sea Which Has Become Known’ and those who have voyaged with him will know to expect epic songs and a mature outlook in his always engaging cosmos.
‘Antaresian’ whooshes in and takes us quickly into a windswept flurry of hefty riffs and drums. Melody is at the forefront as the music giddily trembles and vocals join in with craggy determined grit. It’s not a million miles from artists such as Winterfylleth and Saor so perhaps more down to earth than one would anticipate. Some shimmering melody lines add a sparkle and despite the length of all facets it is easy to become acclimatised and equally lose yourself in its twisting turning paths without stumbling and falling down a crater. Guitars are really left to flow, there’s some great soloing going on here and Jacob proves that he can faultlessly flourish with the best of them without being convoluted but making it all seem very natural amidst the burgeoning pace of the thick fast tremolo riffing. Titles like ‘Frozen Star Divinization’ would suggest heading into hostile environments, the Darkspace as such and although this is very adventurous there is warmth within and not the starved of oxygen claustrophobia one may expect. There is a sense of tumbling away caught in a drift though and the impetuous melody lines on this one catches you and won’t let you go as your imagination goes into hyperdrive with the velocity. There’s definitely a strong sense of identity here and things never get stale, the length of the journey never overbearing. There’s a feel of classic Emperor at the start of ‘Terra Requiem’ and the track goes on to slow things down pace wise, bringing doom and gloom at the album’s midway point to temper the flow. It allows things to breathe and the mood here is equally enthralling as the faster material with grandiose sense of space from the shimmering riffs, which sparkle like heavenly bodies in the majesty of the night sky itself.
Strange that this reminds me of UK based acts as much as it does and this time it’s Altar Of Plagues amidst the burly churn of ‘Luminous Accretion.’ Furious drumming and a seismic space chase of a track, this one is particularly dynamic and encourages head-banging and air-guitar motion aplenty as one is flung headfirst into its swirling, dense miasma, building to an explosive finale this really hits the mark. The longest track is left for last ‘Ataraxia Tunnels’ starts in a mesmerizing fashion and rapidly solidifies intentions with glory and might behind it every step of the way. I wander a bit from the space motifs and find it having a heathen / pagan black prowess to its construct as much as anything else. With plenty of fist-slamming gravitas it defines an album that has proven gloriously epic and a fascinatingly enthralling listen throughout. I think I have a back catalogue to fully explore now and for those intrigued this is great starting point to any similar journey you wish to undertake.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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