When Austere last laid down like old ashes back in 2009 many may have thought the winds had carried them off to scatter over the scorched Australian hinterlands forevermore. Yet despite calling it a day after that album, Mitchell ‘Desolate’ Keepin and Tim ‘Sorrow’ Yatras have finally decided the time is right to resurrect Austere with both a new album and perhaps even more surprisingly the 1st ever live performance in Romania of all places. Both have had plenty to keep them busy over the years with the Desolate one active in Dearthe, Funerary Torch, Temple Nightside, Unfelled and Mr Sorrow with Autumn’s Dawn, Blackened Angel, & the fantastic Germ. Notably it’s just been a couple of months since the dust settled on Mitch releasing an album under the Unfelled banner which saw him collaborating with drummer Vlad from Ukrainian’s Drudkh, the tracks on which I described as “lofty and towering examples of windswept black metal and although there is a definite congruity between the acts, Austere were always likely to draw the listener into more desolate and atmospheric realms.

What we get here are four lengthy tracks running from between 8 and 13 minutes and exemplified by particularly striking, grey cover art that could well be the aftermath of one of those particularly tragic and all-consuming wildfires sadly prevalent in the artist’s homeland. ‘Sullen’ sets the scene with a slight rumble in the background and acoustic guitar line before the slow, mesmerising and gorgeous melodic weight drops in. Both members provide vocals and they move with the tracks. The first example are craggy snarls. I suspect they are from Mitch as Yatras keeps time building up the drumming patterns whilst himself unleashing one of his piercing shrieks in the background. Whilst transfixed by the lush melodicism of the piece, clean vocals are next employed and it seems a bit of a pointless task trying to work out exactly who does what, especially as the pair are obviously working in perfect synchronicity together.

One feels like a deer or perhaps a kangaroo caught in the headlights as portrayed to great effect in classic outback movie Wake In Fright listening to the transcendent grandeur and hypnotic weave of songs such as ‘A Ravenous Oblivion.’ There is an obvious depressive edge to things but as vocals become more strident anger and rage is also present perfectly balancing both aspects of the song-title. Towards the end of the track those Germane shrieks send shivers down the skin but unlike when portrayed in Germ themselves are far from uplifting and far more anguished here. ‘The Poisoned Core’ may be slow and ponderous instrumentally but is absolutely enraged vocally and akin to one looking at a land polluted by mankind’s determined erosion of our world in the name of progress. Well that’s the vibe I get from it anyway; this is music of slow ruinous destruction. Epic closer ‘Pale’ is a withered epitaph, perhaps all that is left are ashes once more? Full of emotion, the clean vocal parts give it a somewhat folky heart and maybe what I am inadvertently getting at is that our thoughtful poets here are much more likely to hug a tree rather than those with a destructive inclination to ‘blow it the hell up.’

Lessons provided somewhat frustratingly as we hear of more environmental terrorism on a daily basis this is a thoughtful and even inspirational listening experience. One can dream of a better world as it flows and lose themselves in its rich, luxuriant atmospheres. ‘Corrosion Of Hearts’ is a very welcome return.

I have just seen that there is a Deluxe Version of the album with bonus track ‘Burn Flowers Fallen’ coming as well, which I assume a cover of the Type O Negative song. Needless to say it’s an extra to look forward to.

(8.5/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAustere

https://austere-official.bandcamp.com/album/corrosion-of-hearts