For the most part, I think it's safe to say that black metal is a vicious sound that doesn't usually offer much in the way of color, emotions, or any form of bliss whatsoever so long as you're keeping even close to the original sound. However, it's thanks to the innovations of many and the bold sense of exploration that they have that the sound has been blessed with such variety for a long time now, and it's in every way that we're still able to witness new names come around at a consistent rate that keeps raising the bar time after time. A newcomer to such a thing is always something interesting in my eyes, making the discovery of Icosandria something that I found very promising with the reality of their debut EP something that I can't help but find wonderfully flavorful.
While it's always tempting to flock towards an act that manages to do thing seven a little different by any standard, that doesn't automatically make for a successful work when it comes to its delivery or even its own goals in the eyes of those who made it. To make a clear statement in four tracks that manage to really show what kind of material you want to bring forward in any sort of significant capacity or form that can leave a decent impression on new listeners is a hard task by anybody's standards, but that didn't stop Iconsandria from accomplishing it with a surprising level of aptitude for their eponymous debut EP. Across twenty-three minutes that manages to bring together plenty of elements from the worlds of both black and post-metal, this EP rises above to become a work that isn't just a mere combination of the styles but, rather, a beautiful catharsis that utilizes them both to tremendous effect as we're able to see what this band is already capable of right out of the very gate. We already have the clear indication that Icosandria is able to pour their emotions into their work wholeheartedly without having to compromise for anything in order to bring the vision that they want to life exactly as they see it, and it's with a tremendous sense of scale that they're able to know when to pull back for maximum effect while it's all but eviscerating when the black metal takes center stage.
Altogether, the very whole of this performance makes for a deliciously organic creation that already sets itself apart from a decent swathe of Icosandria's contemporaries with more than enough atmosphere and power to check off all the right boxes for each of the styles at play here with nothing short of a damn good job the end result of what's been crafted here. If this is just the tip of the iceberg of what Icosadnria is capable of, then how could we not expect anything short of a real wonder to come in the future?
"Icosandria" releases on August 15th!
LISTEN to an advanced track from "Icosandria", "Roshinu", on Bandcamp here or via YouTube below.
LIKE Icosandria on Facebook here.
No comments:
Post a Comment