Time Signature A dream of ghosts...

Genre: atmospheric black metal

Enter Austrian black metallers Aus der Transzendenz, who bring along with them Breed of a Dying Sun - yet another interesting release via I, Voidhanger Records.

Stylistically, we are dealing with semi-atmospheric black metal, which displays all the typical features of modern black metal, such as tremolo picking, blastbeats, repetition and harsh vocals as well as loads of intensity. In that respect, Aus der Transzendenz leaves nothing desired fore by te black metal fan.

The production is extremely fuzzy and, unlike much black metal, has an almost warm feel to it, which, however, is evened out by the heavy use of reverb (the vocals, for instance, sound like they were recorded in the Echo Valley). The performance itself is also very organic, at times bordering on what some would consider sloppy. But this is of course not necessarily a negative ting in the universe of black metal. Also, while a lot of the drumming is fairly standard black metal blastbeating, there are actually a couple of interesting details and neat things going on.

And this use of reverb is one of the factors in the generation of the overall atmospheric feel of te album, which also has a certain melancholy and at times even melodic (almost avant-garde) sensibility to it as well in the form of, for instance, soft and ambient passages and dissonant harmonies. In 'A Pathway to Rebirth' some of the vocals are delivered in a canting clean voice, which suits the overall atmosphere quite well.

This atmosphere-rich fuzzy black metal release observes all the conventions of black metal and, yet, it is original enough that it itself contributes with something new to the genre, and fans of this type of black metal should definitely check out this release.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)