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| #FOR FANS OF: Experimental Black Metal |
The US-based trio Skythala appeared in the scene with a debut album ready to conquer the listener who wants to escape from a standardized black metal sound, at least in its spirit and how the songs are composed. There is not much information about the origin of this project, although Ryan Clackner, known as ‘R’ in this project, is known to participate in several projects (e.g. Primeval Well, Coffin Hunter), some of them tied to extreme metal. Unsurprisingly, taking into account Skythala’s sound, some of them also have certain tendence to integrate experimentation in their sound.
Going back to Skythala, the band was able to catch the attention of the reputed label I, Voidhanger Records, to release its first opus entitled 'Boreal Despair'. If you want to listen to traditional black metal, I warn that you will be disappointed, but if you are thirsty of some experimentalisms and weirdness, 'Boreal Despair' may be something of your interest. In any case, this album is firmly rooted in the black metal genre, as you will notice in the continuous blast-beasts that songs like the album opener "Eternal Nuclear Dawn" has. Moreover, the sharpened guitars and raspy vocals will inevitably remind you the very own foundations of the genre. But leaving aside these core elements, the riffing and the eclectic arrangements give to the compositions an undeniable avantgarde touch and the usual complexity and unexpectedness that this subgenre usually offers. The orchestrations are as experimental and strange as you may imagine, creating like a chaotic atmosphere that complements the also ‘bizarre’ riffing work. The second track, "Variegated Stances of Self Mockery", combines in an interesting way, the chaotic brutality with atmospheric arrangements and a slightly more varied pace, although the speed is also quite present here. The composition abruptly stops with long and equally bizarre atmospheric interlude, which as intriguing as you could imagine. The second half of the song brings back the metal elements, but with a more hypnotic and slow-paced final section. As aforementioned, Skythala doesn’t disown of the expected brutality and speed, as their compositions are mainly remarkably fast and sharp. The arrangements play a major role in the forge of experimental sound of this album, as they are numerous, varied, and well-placed in each song. They can sound just atmospheric as a counterbalance to the chaos of the guitars or even increase this sense of madness and experimentation depending on the moment, which happens many times. "Boreal Phrenological Despair" is probably my favorite track as it shows how diverse the orchestrations can be, sounding both beautiful and weird in the same composition. Pace-wise the rest on the songs follow similar patterns with the exception of "Rotted Wooden Castles", whose rhythm is much slower until its final section, where the already known velocity comes back.
All in all, 'Boreal Despair' is not an easy album to digest. It can be a bit too experimental and weird for the classic fans, and perhaps too brutal for those who want pure experimentation. But if you like the merge of both worlds, this album can be a demanding, yet satisfactory listen. (Alain González Artola)
Going back to Skythala, the band was able to catch the attention of the reputed label I, Voidhanger Records, to release its first opus entitled 'Boreal Despair'. If you want to listen to traditional black metal, I warn that you will be disappointed, but if you are thirsty of some experimentalisms and weirdness, 'Boreal Despair' may be something of your interest. In any case, this album is firmly rooted in the black metal genre, as you will notice in the continuous blast-beasts that songs like the album opener "Eternal Nuclear Dawn" has. Moreover, the sharpened guitars and raspy vocals will inevitably remind you the very own foundations of the genre. But leaving aside these core elements, the riffing and the eclectic arrangements give to the compositions an undeniable avantgarde touch and the usual complexity and unexpectedness that this subgenre usually offers. The orchestrations are as experimental and strange as you may imagine, creating like a chaotic atmosphere that complements the also ‘bizarre’ riffing work. The second track, "Variegated Stances of Self Mockery", combines in an interesting way, the chaotic brutality with atmospheric arrangements and a slightly more varied pace, although the speed is also quite present here. The composition abruptly stops with long and equally bizarre atmospheric interlude, which as intriguing as you could imagine. The second half of the song brings back the metal elements, but with a more hypnotic and slow-paced final section. As aforementioned, Skythala doesn’t disown of the expected brutality and speed, as their compositions are mainly remarkably fast and sharp. The arrangements play a major role in the forge of experimental sound of this album, as they are numerous, varied, and well-placed in each song. They can sound just atmospheric as a counterbalance to the chaos of the guitars or even increase this sense of madness and experimentation depending on the moment, which happens many times. "Boreal Phrenological Despair" is probably my favorite track as it shows how diverse the orchestrations can be, sounding both beautiful and weird in the same composition. Pace-wise the rest on the songs follow similar patterns with the exception of "Rotted Wooden Castles", whose rhythm is much slower until its final section, where the already known velocity comes back.
All in all, 'Boreal Despair' is not an easy album to digest. It can be a bit too experimental and weird for the classic fans, and perhaps too brutal for those who want pure experimentation. But if you like the merge of both worlds, this album can be a demanding, yet satisfactory listen. (Alain González Artola)
(I, Voidhanger Records - 2022)
Score: 72
https://skythala.bandcamp.com/album/boreal-despair
Score: 72
https://skythala.bandcamp.com/album/boreal-despair