A cold and frosty face is what Ølten present to us. It sounds like they might be Norwegian – it’s the “Ø” that does it – and the way this four track EP sets out has the glacial and disturbing face of Burzum about it. It doesn’t stay there, subsiding instead into harsh post metal movement, sliding shadows, irregular movements to test your head. Threats of a dark and desolate scene envelop us. The sound is big. Ølten take us further with their second track “Kàpoé”, slowing down and providing more deep sludge in the vein of Cult of Luna and Neurosis. Off-key heavy constancy is the order of the day. It doesn’t go very far, however. Ølten come in fact from Switzerland. This music is from the nether parts of the mountains. I sensed a likeness at times with their fellow countrymen Kehlvin.
As much as I liked the first track “Péplum” in particular, I developed an indifference to the others. It’s as if the glacier had melted and turned into chocolate. I sensed that Ølten seem to struggle not to be smooth and constant. Ølten became Alton. The third track “Tallülar” plods along chunkily. The drums are soft but threatening, however I felt in no danger. It’s quite comfortable really. There is atmosphere but I started to drift off into oblivion. “Tallülar” bangs and crashes and there is an air of melancholy in the monstrous gloom, but eventually it just dies. It is followed by more measured movements, not unpleasant and mildly evocative but marked always by the mechanical constancy which the drum brings. It’s hypnotic. There’s a semblance of anger at the end but it’s without context and brings the album to a close with very few new questions or answers.
I just thought that this could have been more challenging. After a very promising start it seems to be mostly stuck in a post-metal template zone.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
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