November 26, 2013

Arescet - The Crackling of Embers

Written by Majbritt Levinsen.

Artwork by Marika Hyldmar

Arescet is an atmospheric black metal band hailing from Århus in Denmark, that with their debut 2-track EP/Demo released something quite noteworthy. I was really taken when I first heard the tracks, and they have been played a lot ever since. This review has been laying in a notebook collecting dust since July, and in notebook I mean one with papers in it. I hand wrote the first draft while sitting in the backseat of a car listening to the demo on repeat. The band has changed drummer and name (to Sunken) in the meantime, so I better get this review in digital form before they do that again.

The Crackling of Embers might not be anything new under the atmospheric black metal sun, but it speaks to me in a strange way, or actually the drum does! The first two words you’ll read on my handwritten notes are in capital letters and reads: "THE DRUMS", followed by 3 exclamation marks!!! The guitars almost becomes a backdrop as the drums takes on the lead, and I find myself engulfed by them. I like the sound of drums and I'm struck by the skills it takes to play them - that goes for all black metal drummers out there!

From the first grinding noise that slowly grows in magnitude, like an ancient deity rising up from the dark, humid, moss-grown and rotting undergrowth, the opening track slowly raises and stretches itself into something powerful and mysterious. I am taken away on a journey, carried by the good, but also lonely feeling the guitars indulge in my stomach, my chest and in my mind. The bass is audible and for that I’m glad! The vocal is typical harsh crowlike black metal roars. Sadly I’ve not been able to dig up the lyrics for this release and some (most) of the words are lost to me, but frankly I don’t need to know what the songs are about, the music speaks to me all on its own. But sometimes the lyrics opens up another dimension to the tracks and I like to read them!

Both tracks offers great variation in speed and moods and has some really nice and lengthy, slow, almost droning passages, that gives the tracks new life making them both breaths and evolves. As I stated above I've been listening to this release a lot since I bought it on Bandcamp and I can honestly say that I have not yet grown tired of it, and it is only a demo! I’m so looking forward to hear what comes next from Sunken in the future!


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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