ALBUM REVIEW: Aethyrick – Apotheosis

Finnish Black Metallers AETHYRICK return with their highly anticipated 3rd album. Out via The Sinister Flame on January 22nd.

A ravenous storm of ice-cold guitars and cascading blastbeats erupt into a ferocious onslaught of pure Finnish Black Metal might with that melancholic and melodic approach to the atmosphere that lands with spectral grace. Quickly we can see the music is heavily nuanced with a simple idea built upon with grandiose layers of sombrely aggressive and scathing instrumental prowess. Scornful vocals complete the soundscape, adding a ruthlessly harsh element to the sway of rather resplendent guitars and bombastic drum work. With artwork by the late Timo Ketola masterfully adorning this record with an almost eerily prophetic piece, the legacy he has left is a bountiful and unique one. Thankfully this magnum opus ending his earthly career is part of a dark, brooding and contemplative release that seems suitable in every manner.

Haunting incantations continue to bellow forth with a stunning blend of atmospherics and entwining dissonance that is rampant in forcefulness and also despair, conjuring an anguishing and yet almost tranquil concoction of utmost potency. With the occult themes dealt with here, we see an expansive finale coming to a close (as the third part of the trilogy comprising their studio career to date), embattling elements. Stoic drum work and fluidly transcendent guitars create a framework for the vocals to deliver a beautifully esoteric narrative with everything fitting into place with an organic precision fuelled by passion and masterful craftsmanship with plenty of roughness around the edges to not taint this Black Metal spectacle nor its vision. The metaphoric nature of this music and the evolution the band has shown is impressively insightful, while working in the grander design of their catalogue, the steps forth can clearly be seen too.

Within the burning flame of darkness, there is an elegant and skilful approach to this music that stands on its own, though recognisably Finnish in some ways, not a product of a scene at all. The melody and melancholy mentioned earlier is certainly present throughout but so is the presence of something a bit more obscure and harrowing. Regardless of the complexity, the songs are all rather memorable with plenty of intricacies and progressions that render them exciting and volatile while a trance-inducing ambience is equally strong in the writing. For me the overall execution of “Gnosis” remains their supreme release, but this new entity is a magnificent offering and a necessary part of the trilogy indeed. The endlessly flowing peaks and falls of the album crescendo with ferocity before falling into the pits of darkness, only to rise again. This effect happens extremely naturally and gives the record a very intense yet never dulled pattern of exciting and adventurous sounds that bitterly ensnare you with masterful musical integrity. Certainly a monolithic spectacle to behold for any Black Metal fan whom appreciates sincere and formidable musical ability in both writing and execution.

This new opus should be seen as a continuation of utmost excellence and deserving of attentive ears and open minds. In truth, many may find this to be the most easy to get into release from Aethyrick thanks to their incredible use of melodically cascading guitars and titanic drum work blended together by some truly eerie vocals. If this is your introduction, make sure to visit the earlier works too. Hopefully this trilogies end signifies the start of another, not an end to Aethyrick. Time will surely tell.