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| Artist..: Ashtar |
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| Album...: Wandering Through Time |
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| Genre...: Black Metal | Label...: Eisenwald |
| Year....: 2023 | Cat.No..: |
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| R.date..: 2023-07-28 | S.date..: 2023-07-28 |
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| Source..: WEB (24bit) | Encoder.: libFLAC |
| Bitrate.: 1687kbps avg. | F.Rate..: 44.1kHz |
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| http://open.qobuz.com/album/nf4n6448khuyc |
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| Disc 1 / 1 |
| -------- |
| |
| 01. Into the Gloom 8:34 |
| 02. The Submerged Empire 6:34 |
| 03. Deep Space and High Waters 6:15 |
| 04. Voices (Collide Again) 3:49 |
| 05. Summoning the Dryads 6:02 |
| 06. I Want to Die 10:45 |
| |
| |
| --------------------- |
| (535.94MB) 00:41:59 |
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| Stumbling among the agonies and ekstasis of impious sensorial exploration |
| one can only carry back-with the plainest nature of sensations in ear. |
| Unbelievable elemental distortions of time and perceived space should |
| arguably carry detailed information in order to catch the ear but this |
| does not guarantee believable conveyance of experience. In the curious |
| case of the third and now most forlorn full-length album from Basel, |
| Switzerland-based black/doom metal act Ashtar having gone rogue, or, solo |
| in spirit amplifies the sensation of weirding, uncertain doom as they |
| narrate tales which are defeatist yet romanticist at once. The forces of |
| feminine nature and personal singularity are suggested as the buoyancy |
| which helps to keep æWandering Through Timeæ from amounting to complete |
| and utter despairing doom, an important juxtaposition which keeps their |
| textural wonderland alight and aligned despite this pointedly dark turn |
| taken. |
| |
| Ashtar formed as a duo circa 2012 by way of vocalist/bassist Witch N. |
| (Shever) and drummer/guitarist M.L. (ex-Phased) as they tasked themselves |
| with striking out on their own with a fairly unique gloom-stricken |
| sludge/doom metal style theyÆd hybridized with atmospheric black metal |
| aesthetics. Already tested and capable enough to begin working on |
| professional grade full-lengths, the duo would take just a few years to |
| arrive upon their first LP (æIlmasaariæ, 2015) where the reaction from the |
| public variously pegged their sound as either sludge-adjacent or simply |
| black/doom metal depending on the observer. From my point of view squarely |
| simplifying their wrathful yet crestfallen moodiness and meandering |
| melodic pieces down to a sub-genre combination doesnÆt necessarily make an |
| argument for a unique sound but black/doom metal fans will appreciate the |
| modern touch of that first album and its heavier equivalence on their |
| second LP (æKaikujaæ, 2020). Steady movements between slow and low |
| sludge/doom metal riff progressions and ramps up into faster black metal |
| pieces primarily worked for the sake of how theyÆd woven each piece into |
| eerie reveal or droning surrealism, a complimentary act for fans of both |
| realms rather than a compromise. |
| |
| For album number three Ashtar becomes a solo act and theyÆve marked this |
| change with a sharper band logo, a different style of cover artwork, and a |
| bit more of a black/doom metal focused admixture per a sparse yet still |
| warmed production value. All but one piece on æWandering Through Timeæ |
| appear to have been solely written by N. (ôDeep Space and High Watersö |
| being the exception) yet the album hasnÆt lost the touch of M.L. entirely |
| as he provides the drums, engineering and additional guitars for this |
| album. If nothing else the tone of their work has shifted to a darker |
| place, much in the way that æKaikujaÆ was barren and hateful compared to |
| æIlmasaariÆ, but this time around there is less of a connection to |
| post-metal/sludge dramatics with a more traditional doom metal built |
| rhythmic skeleton and a distinct focus on menacing, consistently mid-paced |
| builds. At a glance IÆd personally found this to be the most grim, rawly |
| depressive work from the band to date but it is not a bloodless cyclone of |
| dread and dysthymia. |
| |
| Opener ôInto the Gloomö arrives as advertised, a slow and dirging entrance |
| which eventually picks up a bit more speed at the midpoint. Taking |
| influence from the most ancient sludge/doom metal dirges and their dry |
| hypnosis (see: their cover of Post Mortemæs ôI Want to Dieö) Ashtaræs |
| sense of movement seems to have evolved towards a bit of the listless |
| groan of early Alastis but also a black metal forward range as the song |
| moves through its point of stirring pace at the ~4:10 minute mark with an |
| obsessive stroke to its rhythm. As an opening piece it sets the tone and I |
| suppose nearly belabors the point in presenting a colder, darker side to |
| the band which still arrives with a certain rhythm warmth thanks to strong |
| production values and render. ôThe Submerged Empireö initially picks up |
| that dirging feeling with a sort of ôLet the End Beginö moment before |
| quickly breaking into some of the nastiest, crispiest vocals on the album. |
| For my taste this is where the engine finally turns on and the body of the |
| album begins to consistently catch my ear with its intensity. As the |
| violins hit ~3:55 minutes into the song and the big crescendo toward the |
| finale of the song finally takes off IÆd been most sold on sticking it out |
| with this album and digging through its wares for more moments like that. |
| Fortunately most every piece on the album has some manner of interest |
| which rouses and enriches with each listen. |
| |
| The aforementioned ôDeep Space and High Watersö is of course a standout |
| the main verse rhythm guitars have a beautiful darkwave melt to their |
| repetitive phrase, inspiring run-on thoughts and a certain melodic value |
| to the drone of the piece. IÆd had this particular song stuck in my head |
| for at least a week before I began focusing a bit more on the others, |
| simple as its effect is itÆd been enough of a forlorn landslide to have |
| reverberated throughout my time with Ashtar. The only misstep on the album |
| is ôVoices (Collide Again)ö which is certainly poetic in its spoken |
| lyrics, jaw harp and crackling fire yet itÆd felt unrelated to the moment, |
| setting me down in a swamp to rest the ole bat wings for a couple minutes |
| too long. From there I believe ôSummoning the Dryadsö has the potential to |
| be additive to the full listen when examined closely for its similar |
| rhythms and effects-laden guitar noise but it doesnÆt stand out as much as |
| the bulk of Side A. |
| |
| Perhaps just as questionable to some, the aforementioned cover of late |
| 80Æs Massachusetts-area thrash/metalpunk crew Post Mortemæs ~12 minute |
| sludge-advent piece ôI Want to Dieö (off of the classic æCoronerÆs |
| Officeæ) ends up being a sizable chunk of the album here. I not only love |
| the material referenced but I enjoyed this version as a closer for how |
| well it matched the toiling mood of the record; Though IÆve enjoyed each |
| of Ashtaræs releases to date there is a certain earnest edge to this one |
| which might not make up for a few overstated moments on the running order |
| but did find me coming back to meditate within the contemplative misery of |
| æWandering Through Timeæ often. A high recommendation. |
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ixxu!imp