ALBUM REVIEW: Arrete – Netherbird

Woe to the unworthy, as Eisenwald’s great vault door swings open once again to vomit out their latest venture, the sixth album from Scandinavian black metallers NETHERBIRD, titled Arete. Naming an album for the classical ideal of excellence is a bold choice, as you invariably will invite strong criticism. However, given the warm reception it’s predecessors have received, could this potentially be the release with which they tip things over into high gear?

Judging simply by Arete’s cover, it was clear that the album’s contents were going to be gloomy. This is confirmed by introductory track Âme Damnée, which brings together all the hallmarks of morose intros, including rain, bells, sad keyboard parts, incomprehensible whispers and even some light strings at one point, to really hammer home the emotional gravity of what is about to follow. Luckily for us, Towers Of The Night opens with a clean and punchy riff before rolling up in momentum toward a tight and speedy groove where it sits and throws out crunchy riffs, occasional blast beats and some very cool, almost clean solos with a bluesy bent to them. It’s a strongly considered opening salvo and one that works as a brilliant showcase of NETHERBIRD’s trademark emotionally charged, enormously melodic style.

As we move deeper into Arete’s recesses, we find that this super-melodic tremolo style is something of a trademark for the group, keeping other ideas lashed to this central, recognisable framework. From the mid paced chug found in Void Dancer, through the rich platter of varied patterns and riffs that is Infernal Vistas, the central tenet is always this recurring motif of sharp, emotionally charged slews of tremolo guitar work, acting as both a grounding and a calling card, becoming near-instantly recognisable.

Carnal Pentiment is a particular mid-album highlight. Its take on the album’s recurring theme is fast and vicious, with the occasional flicker of jarring melody sent flying like sparks from a blade touched to a spinning grindstone. It slows down to a more manageable place, backed by machine-gun drum work which leads to some excellent interplay between thunderous double kicks and a flowing guitar line which surprisingly snaps back around into a welcome reprise of the track’s razor-sharp opening riff, making it possibly the album’s strongest moment and certainly it’s most stirring.

As we manoeuvre into Arete’s final moments, we pass through Mystes. This is a heavy, bleak and overtly dark affair which comes down as hard as the all-enveloping robe of night. It gets very dramatic through the middle, with thunderous tom-work interspersed with shattering blasts, it is one of drummer Frederik Andersson’s finest moments. It is followed sharply by The Silence Of Provenance, which combines an undulating, snakelike take on that classic NETHERBIRD tremolo with some emotionally charged banshee wails of guitar solos all draped over an utterly oppressive drum performance. The album is soundly rounded out by Atrium Of The Storm, one of the most outright melodious tracks on Arete, boasting the album’s emotional and cathartic climax.

As black metal goes, Arete is a deeply accessible and digestible take on the genre. While its overt melody and emotional depth may cause great mumblings and churnings from some of the genre’s purists, it would still make for an excellent stepping stone for those looking to approach the genre for the first time, or simply looking for something not quite so ear-shreddingly vitriolic as they would normally consume. It may not live up to classical excellence which its title promises, but it is fit for purpose and boasts some fantastic moments to balance the keel. It’s well worth at least one listen, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the genre.

Rating: 7/10

Arete is out now via Eisenwald Records.

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