ALBUM REVIEW: Veil Of Death, Ruptured – Asagraum
Dutch black metallers ASAGRAUM are one of the fastest rising acts not only within the Netherlands, but the world. The band’s fresh take on a classic, second wave sound has established them as one of the most imaginative acts that are writing within the more traditional end of the genre’s sound, with their first two albums, 2017’s Protestas Magicum Diaboli and 2019’s Dawn Of Infinite Fire, developing the band’s bleak melodicism and feral intensity and quickly establishing them as a creative force to be reckoned with. Their latest album, Veil Of Death, Ruptured, takes this sound and blends it with a subtle psychedelic edge that makes it a much more impressive and immersive outing than even their early celebrated work.
Ignem Purificat Lilitu starts this album in a punchy way, with lean guitars, powerful drums and acerbic vocals creating a sound that is fierce and epic in equal measure, interspersing the sharper moments with brief bursts of blistering intensity that lend this a caustic, chaotic edge, with a few haunting clean vocals and guitars adding to the grandiose undercurrent, kicking things off in domineering fashion. Fearless Dominance, with its jarring riffs and intricate drums, shifts towards a darker, more sinister sound that takes the formula of the opener and makes it discordant and visceral, with the guitars and vocals especially feeling harsh and frenetic. This is rabid, punishing black metal done extremely well, showing the band’s unhinged and aggressive side.
Opus Ad Errantem, a short instrumental interlude, brings back the lighter guitar sound, but retains the eerie playing style of its predecessor, providing a dramatic segue into the next track De Verloren Tijd; this is a song that leans prominently into the hazy, hypnotic sound that was hinted at earlier on, with murky guitars and delicate vocals creating a borderline psychedelic sound, crafting a slow-burning, immersive feel that is punctuated by a few feral passages, but mostly sticking to a warmer, more engrossing formula, with only the acidic snarl of the vocals anchoring it within traditional black metal, providing an impressive and imaginative take on the genre that makes it stand out.
Impure Fire is an energetic and punishing slab of second wave black metal that peppers in some of the bleak and disjointed elements that made Fearless Dominance so impactful, albeit with a heavier emphasis on the melodic leads which make this a catchier but nonetheless savage effort that is instantly memorable. Veil Of Death, Ruptured reverts to the gargantuan approach of the first track, with pummelling percussion, tar-thick basslines and stringent guitars giving this a focused sound, with even the faster and more bellicose moments possessing a tightness and punchy quality that strikes a fine balance between huge black metal and the engrossing, psychedelic touches that have underpinned much of this album’s sound.
Opus Ad Aeternum, another instrumental centred upon ambience-drenched guitars, takes the approach of the other instrumental piece Opus Ad Errantem, but explores it in a longer form, embracing the same dramatic and melancholic style and setting the listener up for the album’s closer De Waanzin Roept Mijn Naam perfectly. This final number is easily the album’s most bestial, bursting out of the speakers in a dizzying whirlwind of abrasive guitars, machine gun precise drums and searing vocals, feeling a lot more jarring and technical as a result. These frenzied parts have measured, hypnotic sections interwoven around them, ebbing and flowing in and out of the atmospheric, intricate style that has crept into many of the earlier songs, injecting that bleak psychedelia into the mix one last time and making this one of the most eclectic and adventurous songs on the whole album.
Where the band’s first two albums had a tendency to lean prominently towards outright aggression and freneticism, this album places a little more emphasis upon the hypnotic and beguiling moments within their sound, which, when coupled with the sharper production and broader song-writing, transform this into a much more layered and eclectic album than anything ASAGRAUM has released to date. The songs are still tight and punchy, but this more expansive sound means that each track stands out, making the album stronger as a result. Although the band’s first two records were impressive and powerful in their own right, Veil Of Death, Ruptured feels like they are finally creating world-beating black metal, developing their own distinct voice and characteristics that put them in the elite class within extreme metal.
Rating: 9/10
Veil Of Death, Ruptured is out now via Edged Circle Productions.
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