Spectral Lore - Gnosis EP (2015)

Having already proven fluency in both the black metal and ambient spectra time and time again, Spectral Lore has sought to broaden its horizons even further with a series of even more experimental departures from the structured soothing and savagery. These have taken the form of what amount to full-length EPs that each channel a specific aesthetic skill set. With Voyager, Ayloss delved into a more purely electronic/ambient ritual, a science fictional aesthetic both pulsing and sparse. Now, with Gnosis, he has concocted what is nearly an antithesis to that effort, by tripping the rifts of antiquity with metallic guitar rhythms, busier bass lines and a meditative style of composition which creates a landscape of ancient Hellenic and Oriental callbacks, a marriage of moods and exoticism.

Of these two diversional EPs (thus far), this is of course closer to the Spectral Lore you have made previous acquaintance with, at least in instrumentation. But the spaciousness and simplicity of the guitars, drifting and dreamlike, generally inhabit a more atmospheric, background realm on the earlier half of the track list, than the raging tremolo picked excellence and aggression I associate with records like his excellent Sentinel. That DOES play its part, threaded through the odd and extensive "A God Made of Flesh and Consciousness" along with the heavier drumming, but it's not the rule of thumb early on. There are points of pure folkish writing with a psychedelic bent ("Averroes' Search"), clean guitars and looser percussion instruments, and even a minimalist ambient backdrop to such strings on the closer "For Aleppo", which is nearly 10 minutes with the same synth wave struck in the background, enough that you might be driven mad if not for the classical licks being sporadically brushes across the monotony. Probably my favorite piece was "Gnosis' Journey Through the Ages", with some really great melodic hooks and a sense of urgency and majesty that isn't prevalent in some of the other tracks.

Overall, though, Gnosis really functioned as intended, as a support for the listener's contemplation, and is best experienced either through stillness or some other activity in which the motor skills will veer one way, and the imagination the other. It was a curious choice made to keep what vocals you can perceive as sparse rasps buried in the mix...the lyrics themselves are fairly substantial, but it's as if the audience is presented with some existential test to apply them to the songs him or herself. They certainly sound sick when "A God Made..." escalates into a primal explosion, and in that specific spot it might have benefited to crank them up, but it's the clear intent that they never dominate the instruments, and rarely participate, so their exile from the foreground is understandable. Now, having a predilection for spacey electronics and synthesizers myself, from Tron to Tangerine Dream to Mass Effect, I'd have to say that I was more absorbed by the previous EP, but Gnosis was still a compelling excursion to tide us over until the next 'proper' full-length, a welcome contradiction of an experiment achieved through somewhat traditional riffs both acoustic and electric.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/

Nachtreich/Spectral Lore - The Quivering Lights (2015)

Usually you have me at 'Spectral Lore', but The Quivering Lights split has done the favor of also introducing me to another talented act, Germany's neoclassical black metal mash-up Nachtreich, who have produced a few full-lengths in the past that for some reason I have not previously experienced. Probably because there is an almost labyrinthine number of Nacht- (night-) bands and I get too easily lost amongst them, but after hearing the material here I'll have no problem retaining the duo's sound in my memory. Their eloquent melancholy manifests early on the piano/violin duet of the intro piece "Lights", which later erupts with a few distorted chords to hint at the forthcoming study in contrasts that will define this collaboration in full, but I should add that theirs is a heavy emphasis on the classical instrumentation, with the metallic pieces serving as an emotional discharge or even a diversion.

This also leads to a slight snag in the recording, since the violin and pianos seem so clear and bright as they wander their own course, but when the more primitive black metal rasps and chords come in they seem a little more muddled. That's not to say it was a deal breaker, because really Nachtreich is using the added texture of the electric guitar and vocal as an icing to what they're already best at. The music definitely takes on a theatrical climax, like you're watching some foreign film with a classical score and it just begins to swell, only here in a more misanthropic direction. The composition is not necessarily 'minimalistic', but they use quite simplistic chord motifs to forward that choking sadness, which is hard not to feel moved by even if you're already feeling a sense of familiarity to the notes on exhibit; almost like a Kronos Quartet threaded with tints of raw black circa Burzum, I feel that the Germans might find an audience with fans of stuff like the recent Quebecois recordings by Gris or Sombre Forets, though the music is a little less sweeping and more grounded. They have three pieces on this split, and I have to say the pure, atmospheric instrumental "Greyness" was my choice.

What's even more interesting about this release, though, is how once again Spectral Lore rises to 'meet' the partner on their level, providing most of the more metallic components of the 46 minutes, but also interlacing these with the pianos and such that Nachtreich excels in. Ayloss is no stranger to incorporating all manner of ambient and classics influences and instruments on his records like III and Sentinel, but here he does so in a way that complements the other act's compositional choices. You will certainly encounter his penchant for blissful, interesting tremolo picked melodies and then that sheen of ambiance and vocal variation that he continues to hone, but he too errs on the side of 'raw' when it comes to how the rhythm guitar chords are balanced against the other instruments. All three of his tracks are really on point here, but "Vanishing" was my pick of the three, and 11 and a half minute beast with eerie acoustic/ambient guitars and strings that gradually evolves into this airy monument to drifting black metal with speech-like vocals being barked off in the background, and then a flux between these sorts of elements and the great clean guitars. His final piece "Reflection" is more New Age ambient classical guitar than anything, but it's as worthy a closer as Nachtreich's barren, absorbing intro.

The Quivering Lights could hardly be considered 'colorful' in its stylistic choices...much like the black & white toned cover art it gives me the impression of some nature-inspired sort of chamber music in which the corners are haunted by wraiths and shadows. Though I'm not sure which leaves a more gloomy impression, the black metal edge or the pianos and strings... At any rate, this is 100% mood music, and it might not be a mood I'm as often called to as I was on Sol, Spectral Lore's split with Mare Cognitum, but nevertheless both of the acts really commit, and intermingle seamlessly without eschewing their individual identities. And that, my friends, is far more effort you'll hear in a split recording than so many 'you take this side, I'll take that' recordings that feel like meaningless advertisements more than collaborations that breathe organic life into their creation.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nachtreich-Official/134636053320790?sk=wall
http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/

Spectral Lore - III (2014)

Here at the Auto-Ranch, Spectral Lore serves as a sort of 21st century analog to the reactions I used to feel for black metal during it's 'prime' of the mid-90s: In the Nightside Eclipse, The Archaic Course, Nemesis Divina, Frost, you name it, there was just such a tangible balance of exploration, trepidation and intensity on a lot of those records which felt so overwhelmingly unique and inspiring that they still number among my favorites. Ayloss, the sole musician behind this project, might not benefit from having created or innovated such techniques, but it's what he does with them all that makes this music so captivating, rare, and endemic to that headspace I rarely get to crawl into when I've got so much black metal on my radar, that jadedness towards the genre becomes a very real threat. III, which is actually the fourth full-length to my knowledge (discounting the fantastic 2013 split with Mare Cognitum), is ultimately one of those few records that I put a lot of faith in and don't feel even remotely spurned; a varied, textured, immersive experience that I can listen through a dozen times without feeling as if I've grokked every detail...

There's an underlying compulsion to the compositions: that black metal can remain loyal to its scriptures while applying a fresher coat of ink to their dictation. Apart from the fluid blasting passages redolent of incendiary Scandinavian might, there was no one point throughout this album where I could predict to you exactly what was going to happen elsewhere. All seven tracks possess an individuality which not only complements, but strengthens their neighbors, even when the styles of music being contrasted against the black metal core are so wildly different. For instance, "Cosmic Significance" begins with a sort of alluring, primal ambiance to it which evokes 60s-70s New Age space synth, while "Drifting Through Moss and Ancient Stone" involves a moody, incidental folksiness with the clean guitars that feel out new pastures with seemingly every measure. But all is bound together with the eloquent savagery of the tremolo picked melodies, harmonies against which Ayloss sets an added layer of angelic resonance, organs, choirs, multi-faceted growls and howls that seem to assault the listener from a panorama of ancient and cosmic landscapes. If Giordano Bruno had channeled his heretical astral revelations into a symphony, it might sound a lot like this (sans distortion), and it's that larger than life air of discovery and fulfillment which precludes any chance of these incredibly lengthy tracks (10 to 16 minutes) from lapsing into tedium or dissatisfaction.

It's of course impressive that this is all one individual's imagination coming to light, but on equal footing are the guy's instrumental skills. Never cheesy or excessively indulgent...the classical acoustic guitars here have the grace and complexity you'd desire from a seasoned player, and the chord choices are evocative of those tenets of adventure and escape that was characteristic of those aforementioned 90s gems. Granted, a blast beat is still a blast beat and few of the riffs sound unusual for the form, but there's a patience to the writing which doesn't aim for cheap, quick money shot melodies, rather more swarthy cycles of guitar notes that merge into a bigger picture. Bass lines are less overt than the more atmospheric instruments, but they've always got a warm groove going or something else that helps anchor the airier embellishments on the strings or synthesizer. Drums are always maneuvering between a standard blasted precision and a proggier set of beats, with loads of fills to keep them interesting and give the songs just a fraction more depth and flavor, while the growls and rasped vocals maintain the spectral sensibility exhibited on past works: themselves more of an atmospheric exhibition of suffering and bewilderment than a harder driving syllabic framework. III is a yin and yang of the elusive and tangible, ethereal and grounded, with replaybility in spades, and somehow I knew it would be, because sometimes a guy just 'gets it'. And you should, too. Get this.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/

Spectral Lore/Mare Cognitum - Sol (2013)

There certainly exists a pantheon of 'great' split recordings throughout the expanded metalverse, but normally the format presents me with a bit of a quandary. Are these just two or more bands of the same genre being haphazardly slapped together? Because they are friends? Pen pals? Are they covering one another? Was this just a label's idea with a few favors being called in? It's not really my favorite means of ingesting music, but once in a while there will come a team-up which seeks to further the medium by providing a cohesive and consistent experience that feels more like a direct collaboration, and Sol is just such an experience, a dramatic and emotionally ebullient immersion into cosmic, atmospheric black metal that persists for 70 fucking minutes...

I was actually familiar going into this recording with both of the constituent artists. Spectral Lore's latest full-length Sentinel was a game changer among Greek black metal works, and though my reaction to Mare Cognitum's sophomore An Extraconscious Lucidity was more reserved, I still appreciated the potential here for a usurper to the ambient/black throne of fellow Californians Leviathan and Xasthur. Both are one man acts, which might have helped them ease this into a singular experience; for while you'll pick up a few of the distinct traits of each artist, they've done a superb job here of unifying their songwriting into a seamless expression of otherworldly resonance interjected with spurts of incendiary metallic techniques like blast beats, wretched star-extinguishing snarls and roiling, tremolo picked rhythm guitars which do not belie their Scandinavian influences (Emperor, etc). Synthesizers and soundscapes are in abundance, as one might have predicted, and they're used for both melodic lines to enhance the other instruments, and cosmic waves of careening harmony that thrive on their lonesome.

What I found interesting was the sequence here, with each act contributing a nearly 30 minute track, and then pairing up for shorter, purely ambient finale "Red Giant" which is structurally the simplest of the three, but no less poignant or brilliant. "Ouroboros" and "Medius" each have a lot more dynamic architecture to them, and are quite intimidating, but it was this last, soothing track that truly gelled over the experience. That said, both Jacob and Ayloss prove themselves independent forces with myriad instrumental skills, shifting riff formations that mirror their respective solo works. "Ouroboros" is slightly more substantial, with wider contrasts of calm and intensity that fluctuate between black and death metal progressions; while "Medius" has a lot more of that harmonic discharge and raw intensity to the guitars which is redolent of Sentinel, though undeniable a more ambitious format. The production felt a little cleaner for the first tune, but apart from that it would be impossible to choose a favorite, since they complement one another so well...like stars streaking in tandem through a nebula of loss and regret.

Admittedly, not all of the individual riffs were that inspirational, which is why it is so crucial that they balanced in the clouds of murk and void atmosphere; but there were certainly some uplifting moments in which the guitars, vocals and arrangements erupted into a glorious crescendo like an astral leviathan rising out of some spiral galaxy. Star-whales striding the space-lanes, mother fucker! The compositions aren't quite so nihilistic as something like Darkspace, instead balancing a brightness or celestial bodies against the suffocating vacuum between them, but that's exactly why I enjoyed this so much, because at each intersection I could never guess precisely where the floods of notes were going, and its held up for over four full listens as of this review, a laborious love letter to a universe which will has birthed us as surely as it will crush us.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MareCognitumMusic

Spectral Lore/Locust Leaves - Split EP (2012)

Having explored the latest Spectral Lore album Sentinel before this split, I can't say I was quite so surprised at the level of quality on exhibition. However, there were a few tonal shifts in Ayloss' offering here that diverged ever so slightly from the full-length, and I was likewise impressed by the pairing with another promising act called Locust Leaves, whom I've never heard before, but match up rather well in terms of the effort and ambition they bring into the black metal spectrum. Each of the bands has penned a massive composition for the split, two tracks clocking in at nearly a half-hour, and they give us a good glimpse of what makes the clockwork of each project tick.

Spectral Lore's offering, "Duty" opens with warmer melodic textures than I'd expect, but reeks of a similar, fell glory to Bathory's later 80s/early 90s material, or perhaps the more matured, mid-paced Immortal. That said, it's still a veritable riff-fest, eventually gathering speed to gallantly escalate into a mountainous crescendo, before coming back down to a calm segue of acoustic guitars. The vocals are mildly less ominous and guttural than I found on Sentinel, assuming more of a thicker, Burzum-esque, tormented rasp, which is complemented with various, cleaner, narrative passages for variation. While I think ultimately I preferred the full-length's calculated, schizoid sense of purpose, I must say that the last 5-6 minutes of this 15 minute monolith, with the lilting leads and the closing ambiance, were breathtaking. By comparison, the companion piece "Promise" by Locust Leaves, is more dense and in your face, lacking some of the airiness that Spectral Lore revels in. Sensual, whispered periods of tranquility are alternated with harried with blasting, bloodsoaked, gruesome drums and vocals, but the band also creates an enormous atmospheric bridge with clean, melodic vocals and guitars that reminds me of a more tormented 90s Anathema.

All told, we're getting a glimpse here into two of the brighter, more comprehensive acts in the Greek scene which should be taken notice of, since each has a highly defined, refined sense of expression you're unlikely to experience in the more primitive Hellenic underground. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this split riff-for-riff, since a few of the note progressions lost my attention, but especially in the case of Spectral Lore, which is a single man performing all instruments, the effort is incalculable. The production's a bit better balanced on "Duty" than "Promise", or at least more to my liking, but otherwise the two acts pair up quite well. Fans of atmospheric, experimental black metal which doesn't shy away from dramatic, emotional effect would do well to pursue these names.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/
http://www.locustleaves.com/

Spectral Lore - Sentinel (2012)

Alas, another throne has been usurped, and I have found myself once more late to the coronation. Though one of my co-bloggers covered the Spectral Lore sophomore II a few years back, Sentinel is actually my first exposure to the Greek act, and it's by far one of the most ambitious and evocative black metal recordings I've heard this year, combining the far left chaos of explosive, quasi-experimental fiends like Deathspell Omega and Dodecahedron with the stronger sense of fundamental melodic tremolo picking and grandeur possessed by Norse acts through the 90s: Mayhem, Emperor, Immortal, Satyricon and Enslaved. A one-man symphony of staggering ability, and an unpredictable landscape of dissonant miasma and floods of overwhelming rapture.

Sentinel is a nightmare embodied into airy flights of sinister, streamed tremolo guitars, meticulous blasting and ominous growls and rasps so insidious that one might feel one has attracted the ill favor of the Olympians on high, just waiting for whatever curse they send down upon you. This is heavily textured music, and it's incredibly rare that you'll find only one thing happening at a time. The guitars are tracked with much nuance, crisp and bleeding note progressions that almost entire evade the burden of derivative placement. There is a tendency towards orchestrated acceleration throughout the whole of the album, but Spectral Lore can also settle into a slower, progressive groove like "The Coming of Age" without losing a fraction of intricacy. The riffs whip around the listener like the tethering tentacles of some Cyclopean, otherworldly lifeform, gradually sucking him or her into a hidden pocket of reality. The drums alternate between eruptions of unbridled violence and jazzier fills and rhythms that maintain a substrate of complexity even when one strips away the adventurous guitars. The vocals are threatening and petulant, even though their presence is often too sparse, but part of this is that over 30 minutes of the album have been committed to a single ambient track...

Which might have proven a detriment, if "Atlus (A World Within a World)" wasn't one of the most lush and impressive pieces on the entirely of the album. A contrast to the cavorting, evolving chaos of the metallic compositions, perhaps, but incredibly gripping, and aesthetically flush with the album's gorgeous cover art. It's like starting off some mystical evening with an incendiary, psychedelic, structured black metal jam session and then having Peter Andersson of Raison d'être show up to score the after party, when all the maniacs are stoned on a grassy hillside, grazing on celestial bodies. That Spectral Lore's sole author of pain, Ayloss can shift from one extreme to the other without losing focus or sacrificing quality is something baffling to me, and yet here it is, scrawled out across the firmament like a nebula of nihilistic ravens. Sentinel holds up after numerous listens, with more pieces of its puzzle unraveling aurally and existentially each time. Every calm and every storm dwells upon the imagination with a supernatural contemplation. Don't expect a Triarchy of the Lost Lovers here, or Scarlet Evil Witching Black; apart from the mystical fabrics of, say, Acherontas, Spectral Lore doesn't have a lot in common with their classic countrymen. But this is by far the best record to hail from that scene in nearly a decade.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10] (eternally perplexed)

http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/

Spectral Lore - II (2007)

If you know black metal, you probably know those bands that go for the introspective, more poetic (if you will) brand of the genre. Whimsical, lyrical song titles. Typically tasteful album artwork. Presumably 'deeper' lyrics and concepts. You know the types. Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, Leviathan, Blut Aus Nord, Blood of the Black Owl, etc. There are perhaps hundreds of bands like this. Well, (surprise!) here's another. Read on if you like what I've mentioned, if not, you can safely ignore this review.

The album begins with a lovely acoustic melody intro, then blazes into "The Thorns That Guide My Warpath," an epic track as blistering and raw as the title might lead on. Early into the twenty four minute piece there is another acoustic musing, accompanied by distorted guitar. It brings to mind mountain ranges, fathomless in their size, skirted at their base by ancient forests. Fitting, given Spectral Lore is obviously heavily influenced by the earth, perhaps even crossing into that realm of 'fuck your Starbucks and strip malls and your suburban sprawls, let's all go live in the forest' stance of bands like Horn and the aforementioned Wolves in the Throne Room. The song goes through phases in tempo, in mood, at the end becoming a practically lighthearted Norsk-sounding tune that I would happily raise my tankard of mead to.

Ecocentrism speculation aside, there is a lot going on here for those who enjoy atmospheric black metal. Tasteful synths and piano meander through, finding their place amongst the tinny blackened chaos. Spectral Lore plays a frantic black metal when they are in fact playing metal, with no lack of speed or gusto when it's called for, with curious vocals that are buried in the mix, otherwordly. Worth noting is that this is the work of one man, Ayloss, who knows his way around a drum kit and crafts some suitable riffs as well. I must say, though, no particular piece grabbed me, but as a whole the album is consistently interesting enough on the guitar side of things for me.

"Leaving the Stars Behind" sounds like, don't laugh, a My Bloody Valentine instrumental piece left on the cutting room floor. A wall of sound, that classic shoegaze sense of longing, yet with just a hint of malice. "Toward the Great Crossroad" is a vicious eight minute plus journey ending in grand electronic fashion, synths roaring a la Summoning. "Recoiling Beneath the Waves" begins as a very thick, gelatinous mass of sound, cutting off into drone/dark ambient, giving way to another song "Through an Infinite Dreamscape" which again begins with a torrent of ferocity and ends with relative peacefulness. Perhaps my favorite song on the album "Where Nature Will Never Yield To Man" caps it off with gorgeous synthscapes and a stunning climax.

II is what it is, a decent album that I've spun several times, especially when I'm in creative moods. However, there's not a whole lot here to impress people who don't dig on this brand of black metal. For that, I refer you to Blut Aus Nord's In Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars.

Verdict: Win [7/10]