You are alone, isolated. Not in the normal sense of the word, meaning that there is no other human in your presence. You could be in a roomful of people, and you would still be alone. Rather, you are alone because you are devoid of human relationship of any kind. There is no one that you call family, or friend, or even foe, because even that has a connotation that you have a connection to someone. Alone, isolated, in solitude, you pass your days, you wander through your own life, going through the motions, counting off the weeks and months and years until you pass on from this existence, finally free from isolation.
That's the feeling I get after spending 65 minutes with this album. It is the product of Zamiel, who follows in the fine tradition of the one man black metal band by the name of Wende. There is a beauty to this music, but it is of the very grim and stark variety. These are not your typical black metal tunes, rolling on through the same riff. These are varied. Each song feels as though it is made up of movements. Some songs go through passages one after another, each one feeling different, some fast, some slow, some repeating a motif that was heard previously, some cycling through their progression and then back to where they started, and some functioning as black metal hymns. All of these songs are very good.
If you are a fan of black metal, especially Burzum, you will feel right at home with this music. The album actually has a Burzum cover, “Towards Ragnarok”. This music stirs you, it makes you think and feel. It is well crafted and each twist and turn in each song feels like it is part of a whole and not just an extra passage grafted on. Most of the tracks are 8 minutes and more in length, so this is music that you spend some time with. And you are richly rewarded for that investment. This is the kind of musical journey that makes you see things differently and feel differently about yourself even after just one listen.
My personal favorite is “Beyond the Moon and Beneath the Stars”. Check out the lyrics:
I ascend
Drifting only as thought
Beyond
All that mortals can know
All light begins to fade
the mysteries of darkness unfolds
after so many dark nights
Death is my morning
The sky begins to open
I complete my eternity
All journeys have endings
My journey is not yet over
To the Castle in the sky
that can only be seen
When no tomorrows
will ever come
Ages will come and go
the Castle remains forever
though less behold the gate
With each passing year
That is simply beautiful and poetic. I have known of this music for a few years now and it was self-released, but the great folks at Moribund Records have put it out on CD and it is well worth your time. I hope that it receives a warm welcome in the metal world because this is music, this is art, that needs to be heard.
- ODIN
