ALBUM REVIEW: Anthesis – Suldusk
It is a case of bigger label, bigger everything else too for Australian blackgaze/dark folk act SULDUSK. Making the leap from Northern Silence to Napalm Records, their second album Anthesis builds on their debut by moving even further into previously explored territories; the heaviness hits harder, the melodies take root deeper.
It all blooms – which just so happens to be the meaning of ‘anthesis’ – into a record of light and shade, thoughtfully sequenced in such a way that each song flips between these opposing vibes. The acoustic melancholia of Crowns Of Esper, a solemn serenade fit for being sung by a campfire, follows Verdalet, a maelstrom of throat searing howls and blast beats. Then it’s on to Crystalline, heralded by bass drums and a sense of scale that could fill cathedrals.
At the centre of it all is singer and guitarist Emily Highfield, who started SULDUSK as a solo project before recruiting a band to bring more heft to her vision, as well as allowing her to play these songs live. Sure enough, it is her vocal dexterity that sets the record apart, switching from a black metal snarl to a spectral lilt, able to convey complementary moods with vastly different approaches.
It’s these disparate textures that make the album so intriguing. It is as much for fans of OATHBREAKER and DEAFHEAVEN as TREES OF ETERNITY and TRISTANIA. Some CHELSEA WOLFE here and some MYRKUR there, who has become the go-to reference point for this sort of thing. It takes confidence to bring all these ingredients together and end up with something so consistent; while by its nature half of Anthesis may appeal more than the other, it all feels part of the same whole despite its widely contrasting palettes.
It’s the gentle Mythical Creatures that stands out most, driven by a syncopated acoustic guitar and featuring Highfield’s most affecting hooks. “Now throw me to the lions, drown me in a lake” she sings, as if speaking only to the listener. It is a gorgeous and intimate lament, and provides a bit of breathing space among some of the more intense cuts. That it is a much welcomed moment of tranquillity in the album’s back-half only adds to its significance as one of 2024’s essential dark folk songs.
Epic closer A Luminous End features Raphael Weinroth-Browne of LEPROUS fame on the cello, for an appropriately sorrowful and cinematic climax. It all ends with the sound of children playing in the distance, a sort of innocent joy just out of reach. No surprise a record of this type immerses itself in grief and sadness, draped in haunting minor keys. But those who can’t get enough of this wave of ethereal heaviness will find plenty to latch onto here, whether it’s a blackened tremolo riff or choruses that sound like forgotten echoes from centuries ago. As a sophomore effort, Anthesis pushes the boundaries originally set on Lunar Falls, which, along with assembling a full band, suggests Highfield and SULDUSK are set to go from strength to strength.
Rating: 8/10
Anthesis is set for release on March 1st via Napalm Records.
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