1. .----
2. ..---
3. ...--
4. ....-
5. .....
6. -....
Genre - Black Metal
Another band I've been
keeping a loose eye on recently was Australian Black metal outfit
Mesarthim, after a strong debut back in 2015 and a productive period
in between, this duo have finally released their follow up effort.
Now admittedly I fell behind in the metal scene last year due to
varying reasons, but this among select others were a few that stood
out for me. Peddling a highly symphonic and expansive, yet still raw
and caustic variety of Black Metal, something not unlike Midnight
Odyssey, Nychts and Lustre, was what drew me to them in the first
place, because let's face it, I'm a complete sucker for this style of
Black Metal ever since I saw the cover to Moon in the Scorpio
all those years ago. Plus, it brings a welcome change to the immortal
conflict over who can produce the most pretentious satanic bullshit
these days which seems to be present in many corners of the
underground at the minute.
OK, while on the
subject of 'pretentious' you can't ignore the absurd title they have
given the album which is '.- -... ... . -. -.-. .'. Yep, that
is Morse code. Back in the day when us old farts used to go into
physical shops to buy our cds/records, could you envision going up to
the cashier and attempting to ask if they had this album? So if, like
me, you're not exactly fluent in the nautical vocabulary, you'd be a
bit... well... fucked. So after consulting my oft-used Morse code to
English dictionary, the title translates to Absence. So that's
what I'm gonna call it from now on. I guess in a sense it kind of
fits the whole stellar demeanour and panorama Mesarthim are trying to
create, that of insignificance, as speck of a lone ship, lost and
drifting on a celestial sea. But yes, it still is pretty ridiculous.
Track wise each tracks translates in the corresponding Morse code for
it's number, that at least is relatively simple.
One of the aspects on
Absence which struck me the most was how similar the core
Black Metal arrangements are to those composed by Aussie scene
powerhouse Tim Yatras, otherwise known as 'Germ'. Now not much is
known about the members on this album as far as I know, but I
wouldn't be surprised if he was involved in some way. It's a
massively rich and layered album, tortured vocals tear through the
tumultuous maelstrom of pulsating static guitar riffs like tendrils
of ice while the brooding, glittering synths weave in and out.
Superimpose Austere on top of the chromatic soundscapes of Summoning
and a bit of “I am the Black Wizards” and you've got Mesarthim
basically.
I find Black Metal like
this can be a difficult one to pull off correctly though Mesarthim
manage to strike the right balance between repetition and variation
without going too overboard on the synth work. It's a style where so
many other bands fail, either it's just overtly pretentious and not
interesting enough, or they end up diving in feet first suffocating
themselves in cheese. The album feels like one big track split into
smaller sections, though each track still contains enough to differ
it from the next.
I don't really have
much other way to put it but Absence is an absolutely stunning
and captivating release by these guys, its glittering soundscapes are
absolutely dripping in atmosphere, where Limbonic Art were more on
the psychedelic side, these guys on the nostalgic and wondrous.
Definitely one to stick the headphones on, lie down in the back
garden on a clear night and have a mid life existential crisis to. An
impressive piece of progress from Isolate.
Some would say Death rides a pale horse, but here he straddles an
intergalactic motherfucking battleship.
9.5/10
Originally written for The Metal Observer
If you like - Midnight Odyssey, Limbonic Art, Austere
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