ALBUM REVIEW: Kaikuja – Ashtar

Trying to explain the appeal of extreme metal to outsiders is usually a futile task. There is hardly a logical explanation as to why we would much rather be dragged through the mud and battered over the head with ugly and nasty noise than enjoy a nice little singalong with lyrics about love and all that nonsense. But the fact that exploring these outer fringes of the human psyche actually has the opposite effect on the connoisseur, namely boosting mood, self-esteem and relaxation, is but one of the many mysteries that continue to draw us back for more. Blackened doom metallers ASHTAR are no strangers to exploration of the darkness of the human psyche, and delve deeper with their second full length, Kaikuja, following their 2015 debut, Ilmasaari.

Marko Lehtinen (drums, guitars and vocals) and Witch N (vocals, bass, guitars and violin) rip straight into an almost pure black metal opener entitled Aeolus that ups the speed and aggression considerably compared to the previous record, setting the album off to a terrific start. But this is ASHTAR we are talking about, and one only need look at the list of instruments played by lead vocalist Witch N to infer that this release will by no means be a straightforward listen. In fact, the band points out that Kaikuja also features elements of drone, sludge and even post-rock, all of which explains the frequent scenery changes experienced throughout.

Second track Between Furious Clouds introduces the listener to her ambient-inducing talents on the violin, far from the most typical ingredient in black or doom metal, with effectively the first two-plus minutes serving as a delicate and foreboding intro to the rest of the composition. Here, ASHTAR take full advantage of the whopping 13:45 run time, by far the longest on the record and a highly ambitious move considering its placing at the beginning of the album. The gamble more than pays off, however, as the listener is taken on a winding and unpredictable journey through the various shades of darkness that make up the duo’s universe: melancholic wanderings, desolate and droning doom, pounding aggression and creepy, chanted vocals intermingle to squeeze any remaining residue of light out of the sonic explorer’s soul.

Heavy listening indeed, in every sense. Perfect timing for Bloodstones to lash out and blow some life back into the ominous pall of depression and hopelessness, albeit ugly and twisted ‘life’. MGLA-like tremolo cascades combine with classic down-tuned doom riffs while the drums remain at a patient pace until unexpectedly pummelling the listener with brief blasts that appear out of nowhere around the two-minute mark. At this point in the proceedings, anyone but the most committed doomhead would pine for a bit more speed, as the track once again lapses into a slow crawl. Luckily for us, that is exactly what we get towards the end, thus preventing the listening experience from becoming tedious.

The Closing is up next, straight away recalling those bleak-as-hell ASPHYX dirges that conjure up images of a barren wasteland strewn with mutilated corpses following a particularly grisly First World War encounter, poison gas merging with thickening fog and muffling the last feeble gasps of pain. But once again ASHTAR refuse to settle into predictability, injecting the proceedings with a somewhat odd twist for the final minute and-a-half. Closer (She is) Awakening does, by this point, seem slightly redundant as it fails to offer anything new and seems content to retread old ground – as well as coming after a track entitled The Closing. A slight change of pace and tone halfway through gives way to a lone lead guitar which could have been used to greater effect, rather than simply acting as a bridge back into the same doomy crawl once again, albeit aided by the reappearance of the violin.

Irrepressibly bleak, dark and oppressive, Kaikuja picks up where ASHTAR’s previous effort left off. Original and unexpected flourishes prevent the record from becoming stale, at least until the final track. Definitely more for doom and drone fans than black metal maniacs, this is a harrowing and dense listen.

Rating: 7/10

Kaikuja is set for release May 15th via Eisenwald.

Like ASHTAR on Facebook.