adg211288 Hot on the heels of the physical release of their debut album Isolate (2015) the enigmatic Australian atmospheric black metal duo Mesarthim have released their next spacey observation, Pillars (2016). The band have branded this as an EP but the simple fact of the matter is that at 37: 21 in length it could very easily be counted as a second full-length album (hey it's only about six minutes shorter than the original pre-bonus track version of Isolate). So Pillars is definitely one of the more worthwhile EP releases out there.

Not much has changed in the Mesarthim camp since Isolate and that certainly isn't a bad thing. Pillars may be more of the same, but when more of the same sounds as majestic as this does it's hard not to fall in love with what Mesarthim do all over again. Their synth driven cosmic black metal sound remains just as stunning across these four new tracks (structured as two longer ones and two shorter ones) and it's a great supplement to the excellent Isolate. If you've heard that already (and I advise that you do hear it) then you'll know what to expect, but if you haven't then either release will serve as a great introduction to what these guys are all about: beautiful synth melodies clashing with the harshness of black metal riffs and vocals (especially the vocals are the most extreme part of the Mesarthim sound) to convey a great sense of the space theme that defines the band. Beautiful but harsh, that's Mesarthim.

The fact that Mesarthim have called this one an EP has me hopeful that when they do release their true second album that they have something even grander planned that will really push them forward as musicians. They've shown with both Isolate and now Pillars that they know their craft, but as much as I like what they've done on both releases I would like to hear how much further they can take it. Black metal as a genre brings with it a lot of possibilities that they could make great use of if they are of a mind to. It's going to be very interesting to hear what happens next. For now though Pillars is easily on par with their debut.