ALBUM REVIEW: Astralis – Azell

Kentuckian husband and wife duo AZELL have been producing a powerful sludge/doom sound since 2022. Creating seismically heavy compositions and combining this with a flair for science fiction. Courtney and David Napier have taken AZELL on a journey that is all of their own forging. Unique and at often times spellbinding despite the raw energy they create. For Astralis, the duo has embarked upon a concept, drawing inspiration from pulp-fiction style novels.  The songs on the new album represent chapters corresponding with an accompanying novel. Ambitious and imaginative, fortunately for those only interested in the musical aspect, the novella is not a requirement to get totally absorbed in the relentless music on offer.

Deep, foreboding power. That’s how the album opens up with From the Womb of Oblivion.  The title conjures up a yawning chasm of depth and the music does not disappoint on this front. Deliberate and laced with menace the drums work perfectly with the dominant guitars. All the while swirling synths layer a level of uncertainty. The air of beguiling discomfort is rounded out by the guttural vocals. It is all mixed to a level that maximises both the compositional strength of AZELL and delivers an impenetrable wall of sound.

The inexorable nature of Astralis is what hits home the hardest. With the journey over eleven tracks, the Napier’s have packed in a truly astonishing amount of raw aggression and well executed extreme sludge. A track that entirely lives up to its title is Monolithic Terror. As colossal as a supernova with the crushing depth of a black hole. With a measured, ponderous delivery to the riffs and rhythms, it’s got an all-encompassing presence without being ungainly.

This is a factor that runs throughout the whole album, holding up from introduction through the mid-point of truly battering Hostage to the Machine right on to the crowning intensity of closer Time Slows to Nothing. The power and potency are due in no small part to the mixing. With such a weighty sonic delivery, it would be easy for the music to slide into the realms of murky dirge. Yet the mix highlights the instrumentation, the textures and layers in a way that there is a groove to pick up on. A guiding path through the sludge but always serving the purpose of the momentous sound that AZELL strives for.

Every aspect of what is on show here has clearly been considered and what with the sparse instrumentation, there is no room for anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. There could be a temptation with a concept record to overdo the narrative and sacrifice the music for the story. This in turn can lead to a pomposity that overwhelms the deliver, a ‘look how clever we can be’ mentality.

Fortunately, AZELL have cleared this particular hurdle with ease. The bludgeoning sound is both discomforting and highly entertaining. The narrative is there, tying themes together and providing a unifying structure for each track to branch from. However, the tracks can be enjoyed individually or as part of the whole.  The each have a creative presence and strength to stand on their own. Yet, when taken to together Astralis becomes an album of colossal proportions. It will not be for everyone, however, those that like a little bit of unease with their sludge or enjoy a story while it feels like the walls cave in around them. AZELL have got you covered. Astralis is the event horizon of doom laced sludge meeting a sci-fi backdrop. It has the power to make the stars tremble.

Rating: 8/10

Astralis is out now via Rottweiler Records

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