Buddhist Black Metal from New England.
OK the pvrists and troo believers have scattered. Now I can address the rest of you.
Shunyata are a four-piece band from the USA – not to be mixed up with a Dutch stoner band of the same name.
They may follow the beliefs of Budha but frankly there is little evidence of it in their musical style or aesthetic and without lyrics I cannot comment on what the message behind the eight tracks is.
What I can comment on is the melodic Black Metal steeped in corpse-paint and icy artwork whose icy blue hues immediately bring to mind Dissection’s epic covers and Immortals At the Heart of Winter.
Shunyata play melodic Black Metal shot through with ferocity, the accompanying blurb mentions Dissection and Emperor and while this may seem like much used hyperbole, these karmic folk from Stephen King country are certainly skating on the same Nordic ice as the aforementioned chaps. Although with their belief system one would hope they are steering clear of the bigoted murderous actions of certain members of said bands.
Enough tabloid style nonsense and time to concentrate on The Dark Age. Warm acoustic guitars are a prominent feature of this album, from the gentle intro to opener “Dawn” to the two instrumental pieces “Loss” and “Sweetness and Sorrow” which washed over me like a warm breeze. Ironic that as most of the album is as cold as a polar bears bollocks. The lilting intro to the first track segues into a filthy mid paced blizzard covered tundra of a ditty. Blasts a plenty and many, many orange squeezing moments plus a delightful switch to lo fi minimalist drumming part way through that brings to mind Lamp of Murmuur. Oddly I have to give a shout out to the cymbals they light the way like a cliff top beacon.
I get some Sigh vibes from these folk as the vocals (no clue to band members as no info) often sit in a similar range to the magical rasp of Mirai . In fact the wonderous Renunciation just needs some crazy jazz parts and it would sit quite nicely on Imaginary Sonicscape.
The pacing is varied on this album, and not just due to the acoustic tracks breaking up the maelstrom. “The Human Predicament” switches from swaying big riffs to old school darkness at the flick of the horns whilst the title track sounds about as pagan as it comes. There is a folky feel to the riffs that remind me of Dawn Rayd and the change in vocal part way through is a great atmospheric touch adding gravitas and drama.
All in all The Dark Age is a triumph. A dark slab of modern Black metal which still shows its DNA from the classics.
(8/10 Matt Mason)
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