Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black

In few subgenres there are as many cases of solo projects as atmospheric black metal, and most of the times, these solo projects are better than actual bands. This can happen, maybe because the artistic vision of its creator is presented in its purest form, which is a key element to create music that touches our soul, even if technically it could be more complex or enriched by different points of view. The feeling is strong in these projects and black metal is a genre, where the feeling is particularly important. Ten years ago, it was created one of those projects in California, under the moniker Mare Cognitum. Its creator, Jacob Buczarski, has been quite active as he released splits and five full lengths, always with a solid level of performance which has given to this project a certain respect in the underground.

'Solar Paroxysm' is the newest offer by Mare Cognitum and it presents five long tracks, clocking each one of them around ten minutes. Stylistically, this album is a perfect example of black metal with an atmospheric touch, where the guitars play a key role. You won´t find here predominant keys as the guitars are responsible of creating both the most brutal and fastest sections of Mare Cognitum’s music, and also the most atmospheric sections. The album opener "Antaresian" shows a nice work with the guitars. They sound absolutely sharpy, yet with an intense emotional touch, creating a very addictive song, although the pace is quite intense in its eleven minutes of existence. The album gets more brutal with the subsequent track "Frozen Star Divinization", where the riffs lose the emotional touch in favour of extremer and biting touch. This initial part shows compositions with a relentless pace, predominantly furious and with a fast pace, that maybe would welcome a greater variety in terms of speed. A nice example of this expected diversity its exemplified in the third composition, entitled "Terra Requiem". This song has clearly a greater atmospheric touch with some excellent riffs, the tremolo guitars sound in this track beautiful as they create a hypnotic atmosphere. It also helps the fact that the song has in a great part of its structure, a much slower pace, where this type of riffs can shine more. It is also interesting to listen to how the song abruptly changes its pace as it has a very intense and fast final section, which I especially enjoy. The contrast between slow atmospheric parts and the furious black metal trademark, yet atmospheric, speed is always great ingredient when it is done right, like in this occasion. The final part of the album brings back the blast-beats and the furious guitars. In any case, the riffing is quite good and though the songs can lack some variety in terms of pace in certain moments, the guitars compensate this weaker aspect of the compositions, with an excellent performance. The riffing is very well elaborated and executed with plenty of intense melodies, which make the songs captivating. Just give a listen to the last song "Ataraxia Tunnels", which has excellent melodies and a very intense final part, where different layers of guitars create a brilliant ending.

'Solar Paroxysm' is, in conclusion, not a game-changer, but a quite solid album of black metal with an intense atmospheric touch, where the strongest aspect is the excellent guitar work which always leads the compositions, reining above any other instrument. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger - 2021)
Score: 73

https://marecognitum.bandcamp.com/album/solar-paroxysm

Mare Cognitum - Luminiferous Aether

#FOR FANS OF: Progressive Black Metal, Darkspace

Interesting old album this one. I want to like it, and I kinda do but it's just a bit headache inducing. Perhaps one of those releases where you find the concept/general idea really good, but the execution leaves you wanting.

The most obvious description with 'Luminiferous Aether' is a hi-fi, somewhat maximalist Darkspace. Whereas those swiss guys do a fantastic job conjuring up a cold, lifeless universe populated sparsely by primal, unyielding alien evil, Mare Cognitum basically get something closer to a darker Mass Effect universe. Somewhat grim still, but here the nebulae are in that blazing false colour we're used to, the explosions are bright yellow, and the sound effects are physics defyingly-loud and vibrant.

I have no problem with this- I'm a cheerful guy myself and am perfectly happy to lose myself in a musical version of a jam packed space opera. The main problem is basically that there's not enough dynamics, and there's not enough riffs.
They're pretty intertwined problems, I think. There's enough bands that stay in a forteissmo dynamic for 70 minutes straight and pull it off because good riffs flow from one to the next- things build, despite staying fully loud the whole time. That doesn't really happen here; most of the songs have very promising sections but then there's a tendency to wander off into aimless blasting where nothing much happens, where nothing much progresses. Call it New-Metallica syndrome if you want; you get the feeling that you could cut 25% of each song quite comfortably.

Things just float on in these overtly layered tunes until the songs end. I found myself drifting in and out of focused listening fairly often with this- there's just not enough to grab your attention for the whole album. I reckon a few parts like the album intro would've been a good addition. Mellow parts, when done properly don't have to be soppy or an Opethian exercise in song lengthening; they can make the songs flow better and establish new moods, they can draw a listener's attention back to the song. I'd refer to Spectral Lore's mind boggling 'III', an album of similar ambition and scope, but one that use dynamics one hell of a lot better.

I know I've whinged about this album for much of the review - but honestly I don't hate it or anything. You flick to any particular part of it and for a few minutes you'll be all "jeez, this is pretty cool" as your mind imagines some super futuristic space battles with all sort of mind blowing, space-time shattering weaponry. Problem is a few minutes later you'll likely be absentmindedly checking your email. Worth a look if you're into big, spacey BM - you may well like it more than me. Personally I think I'll stick with Darkspace. (Caspian Yurisich)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2016)
Score: 55

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/luminiferous-aether

Mare Cognitum - An Extraconscious Lucidity

#PER CHI AMA: Black/Post/Cascadian

Quasi quasi anch’io domattina mi sveglio e metto su la mia band, la mia one man band. Ormai non mi è chiaro se sia una questione modaiola, o il fatto di avere fior di computer a casa o cos’altro, ma ormai i progetti solisti spuntano ovunque come funghi. Non voglio assolutamente criticare nessuno, la mia è una pura e semplice constatazione, che mi porterà sicuramente a dire, a fine recensione, “ben vengano i progetti solisti”. Dopo queste mie elucubrazioni mentali della mezzanotte, mi avvio alla scoperta di questo progetto californiano che risponde al suggestivo nome di Mare Cognitum. Il cd è essenziale e stilizzato nella sua confezione, ma probabilmente legato al fatto, che la copia nelle mie mani, è promozionale. Mi ha colpito però l’interno del booklet con il simbolo di un segno zodiacale differente collegato alle sei tracce qui contenute (che arrivi un secondo disco con i rimanenti sei segni?). La proposta del nostro bravo individuo, all’anagrafe Jacob Buczarski, è un feroce preparato di black atmosferico, probabilmente contaminato dalla corrente cascadiana, che brulica sulla costa ovest degli States. E ovviamente, dinnanzi a simili sonorità, io non posso che essere felice. La cosa un po’ bacata (della mia mente intendo) è che il Cascadian Black Metal non è nulla di cosi trascendentale o geniale: si tratta di melodici riff glaciali, interrotti da intermezzi acustici (talvolta dal sapore folkish, ma non in questo caso), momenti meditativi (come la chiusura di “Collapse Into Essence”), rabbrividenti harsh vocals e poi… e poi un feeling di insana malvagità intrinseca, che popola tutte queste release, e che sinceramente io riesco a ritrovare solamente in questa corrente musicale. E anche “An Extraconscious Lucidity” non ne è immune, pur non rappresentando in realtà in piena regola, il genere sopra descritto. Chissà, sarà forse l’aria dell’Oceano Pacifico, che mi sembra molto più calda di quello delle foreste norvegesi, a plasmare simili individui, eppure le chitarre acuminate, le voci ringhianti, la voglia di dipingere paesaggi desolati, emerge prepotentemente anche dai solchi di questo cd, di sei lunghi pezzi, in cui emergono, senza ombra di dubbio, la furente “Degeneracy Pressure” e la più (relativamente) tranquilla “Nascency”, un pezzo di black mid-tempo, contaminato però da un po’ tutte le ultime correnti musicali, dal post al cascadian, fino al depressive; però permettetemi di dire banalmente quanto bellissimi siano quei break strumentali, in cui chiudo gli occhi e mi abbandono “al mio dolce naufragar in questo mare”. Il sound dei Mare Cognitum è una tempesta in mezzo al mare, con il gelo che penetra nelle ossa ed un senso di famigerato disagio che si insinua nel mio animo costantemente inquieto. Questa la sensazione ascoltando la deprimente “Ergosphere” o la catartica conclusiva “Pulses in Extraconscious Lucidity”, che chiudono un lavoro dal difficile impatto emotivo, in quanto permeato da sublime disperazione. Ebbene si, alla fine confermo, ben vengano tutte queste one-man band, se i risultati sono questi… (Francesco Scarci)

(Lunar Meadow Records) 

Voto: 75

http://marecognitum.bandcamp.com/