Aara are a black metal band from Switzerland founded in 2018 who, it seems, made good use of the lockdowns and the plague years. Vocalist and lyricist Fluss (Engl.: river) and multi-instrumentalist Berg (Engl.: mountain) are now releasing their fourth full-length album, Tirade II: Hemera, even though they only had their debut in 2019. And apart from the full-lengths, they managed to put out a couple of EPs as well. Definitely a case of hyper productivity and hyper production. Whether the more recent releases show an improvement in musicianship and song writing abilities will be up to long-term fans to decide, for me this is the first encounter with the band and their work.
“Triade II: Hemera” is the second part of a trilogy based on the gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin, published in 1820. In the novel, in Faustian fashion, the main character sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and an extra 150 years of life. The devil, the supreme scoundrel that he is, has made the deal less frightening and more alluring by offering a way out. Melmoth just needs to find another soul to take his place, to follow in his footsteps, and he will get off the hook. Searching the world for someone who is willing to make the same deal and exchange their soul for his, Melmoth has many encounters, all tinted by the subliminal danger he carries. Ultimately, he is unsuccessful and has to face the devil and “unutterable horror”.
An interesting foundation to make an album about, I must say. The first part of Aara’s trilogy, Triade I: Eos, which we also reviewed here, featured aggressive black metal, fast and unrelenting. Triade II continues in a similar vein, portraying the central story line, where Melmoth woos and pursues a young woman, Immale, trying, of course, to get her to agree to the cursed deal.
The album kicks of foreboding and with a bit of melancholia, capturing well the awful predicament of the main character. After the two-minute mark is passed, high-speed, high-voltage black metal with screechy vocals sets in. The battering drumming, kept up until the very end, is not for the faint of heart. A good set of headphones is a must here, otherwise the drumming drowns out everything and you will miss the details in the soundscapes. Namely, while overall of a raw, violent and savage character, the six tracks have plenty of finesse to offer. There are swift tempo changes and unexpected turns, unusual instrumentation, non-standard riffs and melodies. Sonne der Nacht sticks out the most among the six songs, featuring Asian-sounding, yearning female vocals. Of course, other bands have combined a black metal template with Indian vocals before, but the combination is still uncommon enough to sound intriguing.
There certainly seems to be no shortage of ideas here, nor a lack of ability or will. Aara have evoked my interest and I’m curious about how they plan to dial extremity up a notch or two. How are they going to portray the novel’s finale? What will facing the devil sound like? If they keep up the good work, we probably won’t have to wait too long to find out.
(7.5/10 Slavica)
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