ALBUM REVIEW: Premonitions – Sojourner

Keeping a strict two-year cycle between albums is hard going for any band, never mind a band scattered across the globe. International powerhouse SOJOURNER have this exact issue, with members scattered from New Zealand to Sweden to Scotland. Needless to say, there is no impromptu jam sessions for these atmospheric black metallers. Rather, guitarists Mike Lamb and Chloe Bray have developed an almost unrivalled songwriting partnership. And with newest opus Premonitions, that partnership is stronger than ever. 

There is a very clear evolution from the incredible work of their first two records, Empire of Ash and The Shadowed Road. Where these records carried a heavy emphasis of the darkness and abrasion of black metal with the grandiose atmosphere enhancing the sound rather than dominating it, Premonitions is a far cleaner product. Smoother production really makes the epic elements of SOJOUNRER‘s arsenal pop, while from a songwriting perspective Lamb and Bray have moved the focus to the atmospheric side of their sound, the black metal elements coming in a more subtle fashion. This is immediately evident from oping track, The Monolith. Here, Bray leads SOJOURNER in with her hypnotic vocals, immediately showing a statement of intent for Premonitions: this is a far more melodic, far more epic, and far more sombre outing than the international outfit have released before. Her vocals contrast nicely with the bursts of black metal that run throughout The Monolith, creating a lovely duality that runs across the entire record.

Speaking of Bray, her vocal performance really shines throughout Premonitions. With both The Apocalyptic Theatre and Atonement, two immediate highlights due to their stronger emphasis on the blackened elements of SOJOURNER‘s sound, both Bra and lead vocalist Emilio Crespo work in perfect harmony, the angelic tones of the former lifting the melody and grandiose atmosphere to the fore while wonderfully contrasting the harsher, blackened spit of the latter. Meanwhile, Talas is lead almost entirely by Bray, a softer, more melodic track the really allows her vocals to shine, and her vocal breaks in Euology for the Lost, following on from The Monolith, perfectly capture a sense of melancholy with the more polished production letting the melodies in the black metal foundation really punch through, grabbing your heart in a vice grip.

But there is a lot more going on here than simply a stellar vocal performance from Bray and Crespo both – particularly in the second half of Premonitions. The one-two of singles Fatal Frame and The Deluge  perfectly demonstrate the fragile balance SOJOURNER have created, melding truly ferocious black metal with atmospheric, walking-in-the-forest tones and folk sensibilities. Melancholy, wanderlust and a sense of wonder are all perfectly acceptable feelings to have wash over you, here. SOJOURNER save the best for last, though. The Event Horizon closes out Premonitions in traditionally grand fashion, doubling down on all the sonic misery the band had subtly laced throughout the record, and delivering a fabulous dose of atmospheric blackened doom to round the record off.

Premonitions is, by far, the most accomplished SOJOURNER record to date, and one of the most beautiful albums thus far in 2020. The songwriting partnership of Lamb and Bray has reached an all new height, and although the sonic evolution on this record sees the band lose a bit of their grit in favour a slightly more accessible sound, the cleaner production works very nicely indeed. Though it is reductive to box Premonitions into atmospheric black metal as there is so much more going on here, this is a stunning example of the genre at its best while still leaving plenty of room for SOJOURNER‘s growth.

Rating: 8/10

Premonitions is out now via Napalm Records. 

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