ALBUM REVIEW: Absolution – Ashbringer
Ethereal, blackened chaos. Three words with which ASHBRINGER have become very much associated in recent years. Never ones to muck about with the ordinary, they spit in the face of preconception as they weave a web of heavy melody. For their third full length Absolution, they enlisted the help of the esteemed Kris Hilbert to mix and Jack Shirley to master, two incredible talents whose portfolios include the likes of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and PORTRAYAL OF GUILT. The outcome? An hour long torrent of sheer black metal wizardry, bursting at the seams with inventiveness and contrived excellence. For a band that has already attracted a lot of attention from figureheads in the industry, this is the album they needed to write to continue chiselling their name firmly into the history books.
Our journey begins with the title track, where a slow-breath intro is composed of acoustic guitar that suddenly spits into life, before once again tumbling into serenity. We’re a couple of minutes into the track before despaired vocals enter the mix, offering a bleak shadow over beautiful soundscape. Like a storm above rolling hills, this juxtaposition is a vivid contrast, a trend that stands it’s ground for most of the album. Since their 2013 inception, ASHBRINGER have almost trademarked this method of creating thought provoking metal that operates only in grey areas, peeling away the genre’s often abrasive surface and revealing a delicate interior.
As a dazzling solo sees out the opening track, the baton is passed to Wilderness Walk, where more idyllic guitar is threaded between trembling drum patterns and a bass line that wanders of its own accord. All the while, those grating vocals continue the bleak pretence, feeling ever more symbolic of agony and grief. It is a testament to the level of songwriting that each of the eight tracks clocks at over 7-minutes in length, and songs like Dreamscape show that generic song structure isn’t always essential. This is music that feels innate rather than forced, and ASHBRINGER would clearly rather utilise long, enticing solos than cut right to the chase and dampen the weighty impact that the record imposes. It is art created in its truest form, and love it or hate it, each track is a masterpiece in its own right.
Shrine Of Loss holds a similar level of detail, again emerging from soft beginnings to become a paragon of atmospheric black metal. It is a patient listen, but it’s stuporous execution is sure to leave the listener in a daydream. Following this is Eternal Separation, parts one and two, which together span a gargantuan 17-minutes. Here we embark upon a journey within a journey, lost in a cacophony of jagged riffs, melodic guitar and a crescendo of drumming genius. At times impossibly beautiful, other times inexplicably harrowing, sheer erratic nature casts a spell over both parts of the track, allowing it to constantly shape-shift and take on new, jaw dropping forms.
Although we are now three quarters of an hour into the record, we are forced to hang onto every note as Spiritual Architecture drives us forwards. We hear more instrumental layering, more gradual build up play, and subtle piano and violin even begin to cut through the mix. As it continues to grow in stature and ultimately leads into Threshold Of Existence, the resulting feeling of shocked numbness is enough to conclude that this is one of the best black metal releases we will hear all year. ASHBRINGER have torn up the rulebook once more, and fabricated a record that demands attention. All we can do is sit back, enjoy it’s encapsulating content, and applaud.
Rating: 9/10
Absolution is set for release June 28th via Prosthetic Records.
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