Although they only formed in 2018, Swiss atmospheric black metal group AARA are already onto their third album, ‘Triade I : Eos’. This is the first part of a forthcoming trilogy inspired by the Gothic 19th century novel ‘Melmoth the Wanderer’ penned by Irish clergyman Charles Maturin. In it, Melmoth exchanges his soul for 150 years of extra life, and the novel follows his tortured wanderings.
Comprising six tracks, the album begins with ‘Fathum’ and a melancholic intro passage, before blasting into visceral, aggressive black metal with battering percussion, razor sharp riffing and howling, anguished vocals set against glorious melodies. These are effectively balanced with serene, atmospheric passages and over the course of nine minutes, the juxtaposition works well creating the strongest track on the album. So far, so good.
‘Tantalusqual’ continues the direct approach with tormented vocals remaining the focal point, while augmented by simple, glorious melodies creating a hostile but accessible atmosphere. The same approach is taken on ‘Naufragus’ and ‘Nimmermehr’ albeit with the addition of subtle choral vocals, akin almost to howling winds, but it is here that the album began to derail a little for me becoming one dimensional and exposing issues with the mix resulting in a feeling of lack of depth.
The final two tracks continue in the same vein with direct blasting black metal but the vocals could do with a little variety as they begin to grate. The melodies continue to provide some solace but by this stage they have lost their effectiveness.
I really wanted, but struggled, to enjoy this album, and maybe that is the point, maybe black metal shouldn’t be enjoyed. This album is hostile, confrontational and has an edge creating an inner agitation, perhaps even a psychological turbulence. Perhaps the band would be happy with that, but for me this could have been so much better with some variety to the vocals, more depth to the mix and greater use of the melodic interludes.
Of course, that’s just my opinion, and we are all different, so if you like black metal and want something to challenge you, give this a go.
(7/10 Andy Pountney)
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