Anyone dabbling in the fine arts of black metal is effectively trotting on thin ice these days. Thankfully, throughout this particular album's duration the music seems to traverse its territory with a confident familiarity and reaches the finishing mark – mostly - unscathed. The first effort from this one-man project was an eclectic, multi-layered piece of cold ambience and Xasthur-esque dirge. Spectral Lore's sophomore release is indeed a progression from their debut but not necessarily in stylistic or timbral terms, but rather in structure and effectiveness.
Spectral Lore is an interesting beast. Where bands of the same ilk such as Velvet Cacoon focus on the monochromatic peak shift of the bare essentials, here Ayloss (the sole individual behind the outfit) instead goes for the aesthetical contrast between entrancing ambience and melodically accented black metal. In more abstract terms the album sets up a subtle polarity, which effectively merges the musical expressionism of Burzum-influenced black metal with the neoclassical overtones of its evocative, ethereal soundscapes. The hyper-distorted haze of Xasthur and Nachtmystium is put to good use here as a measured and calculated expedient for projecting the intended mindscape to the listener. Most importantly, Spectral Lore eschew the unfluctuating melancholic themes of the aforementioned and instead tends to be significantly more dynamic, something especially prominent in the guitar work. As a whole it goes more for atmosphere rather than rhythmical assertiveness - which really is not of the essence here - and this is characteristically exhibited through its unimposing percussion and its production that favours high-end frequencies.
Spectral Lore's black metal can be acerbic and raw but it can also be considerably uplifting and epic. It won't necessarily pummel the listener into its pitch-black atmospherics but instead it will lead him/her through the "tunnel" and thereby into the soothing clasps of mesmerising and emotive ambience. Intelligently structured passages deviate the album further away from its minimalist inspirational hub and place it confidently at a safe distance from its derivative counterparts. As a result the music is not necessary hateful or inherently negative in its composure but actually quite inviting and appealing. It really doesn't take much after a few minutes to let your mind wander almost unconsciously in and out of the album's enchanting worlds. Audiences that are on the lookout for "catchy" melodies and standout tracks should look elsewhere. This is an album that should be taken in one straight dose from beginning to end. As such it lets you in for a while to sojourn in its mystical and bleak landscapes and then smoothly shows you the way out again. Track titles such as "Leaving The Stars Far Behind" or "Through An Infinite Dreamscape" are actually suggestive of this.
Be sure to check this out if you're into atmospheric black metal that doesn't simply repeat its musical milieu. Oh, and by the way, the album is released on CD-R and limited to 50 copies.
Spectral Lore is an interesting beast. Where bands of the same ilk such as Velvet Cacoon focus on the monochromatic peak shift of the bare essentials, here Ayloss (the sole individual behind the outfit) instead goes for the aesthetical contrast between entrancing ambience and melodically accented black metal. In more abstract terms the album sets up a subtle polarity, which effectively merges the musical expressionism of Burzum-influenced black metal with the neoclassical overtones of its evocative, ethereal soundscapes. The hyper-distorted haze of Xasthur and Nachtmystium is put to good use here as a measured and calculated expedient for projecting the intended mindscape to the listener. Most importantly, Spectral Lore eschew the unfluctuating melancholic themes of the aforementioned and instead tends to be significantly more dynamic, something especially prominent in the guitar work. As a whole it goes more for atmosphere rather than rhythmical assertiveness - which really is not of the essence here - and this is characteristically exhibited through its unimposing percussion and its production that favours high-end frequencies.
Spectral Lore's black metal can be acerbic and raw but it can also be considerably uplifting and epic. It won't necessarily pummel the listener into its pitch-black atmospherics but instead it will lead him/her through the "tunnel" and thereby into the soothing clasps of mesmerising and emotive ambience. Intelligently structured passages deviate the album further away from its minimalist inspirational hub and place it confidently at a safe distance from its derivative counterparts. As a result the music is not necessary hateful or inherently negative in its composure but actually quite inviting and appealing. It really doesn't take much after a few minutes to let your mind wander almost unconsciously in and out of the album's enchanting worlds. Audiences that are on the lookout for "catchy" melodies and standout tracks should look elsewhere. This is an album that should be taken in one straight dose from beginning to end. As such it lets you in for a while to sojourn in its mystical and bleak landscapes and then smoothly shows you the way out again. Track titles such as "Leaving The Stars Far Behind" or "Through An Infinite Dreamscape" are actually suggestive of this.
Be sure to check this out if you're into atmospheric black metal that doesn't simply repeat its musical milieu. Oh, and by the way, the album is released on CD-R and limited to 50 copies.
(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 13/1/2008)
