Au-Dessus - Mend EP (2022)

2017's End of Chapter was novel for coming out of Lithuania with a bright, post-black feel, but for me the Au-Dessus full-length debut something short of greatness despite its earnest, impassioned attempt. The band has taken some time to put together its successor, a more concise, 25 minute EP recording which cover only five tracks but covers about the same range of atmospherics and intensity. This is still a band which goes for that wall of force mentality, when they are firing on all cylinders there is not a lot of space left between the riffing volleys for the listener to use his/her imagination. Mend is more about going along for the ride with the roiling riffs, scathing rasped vocals, and the clash of violence and warmth within the surging tides of the songwriting.

The "Negation" duology is the one-two punch that inaugurates this release, first with several minutes of excellent ambiance, then lurching into some steady, textured, dissonant, bright and doomy chords, all to set up the writhing speed of "Negation II". The variation continues a little with "Lethargy", one of the most turbulent tracks with a mixture of snarls and gutturals and some volatile chord patterns broken up with percussive fills and moody ambience created at the top of the guitar chords. Despite the strengths early on, though, I felt like some of the later material like "Epiphany" was its most formidable, with the seismic, dissonant shifting groove patterns that crash into the post-hysterics like irritated waves against a rusted steel beach. There's a bit of sameness sometimes to the riffs, although I do like the textures and chord-forms they play about it, and I wish they could throw a few more left hooks in this area, but I think overall the material here with slightly more satisfying than on End of Chapter, without alienating those who enjoyed what they heard that half-decade ago.

An interesting band lyrically, in how they package their releases with iconic, simple imagery (here as on End of Chapter), but not necessarily the most unique in sound. I rather liked their ambient intro and wish they could have incorporated sections like that, perhaps more directly balanced with the heavy parts, but all told Au-Dessus remains a solid band to check out if you dig a bit of the modern or 'alternative' into your black metal without tossing away the building blocks.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://au-dessus.bandcamp.com/

Au-Dessus - End of Chapter (2017)

Au-Dessus is a Lithuanian band which is branded as post-black metal but only encapsulates such a sound in vaguely atmospheric terms, due to the bright, powerful emotions its chord patterns tend to evoke alongside the streaks of more conventional savagery that it often fires off into. The layout and packaging certainly seem to be left of center for the medium, with gorgeous imagery and 'class' in the vein of many recordings from the French label Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions; but they don't perform too heavily into either the shoegaze or post-rock styles, and keep the material routed very much in the parent genre, which might not feel hip or fresh enough to some listeners, but personally I found that they offered up just enough individuality and spin on the sound to really hit home.

It does take a couple tracks to really win me over, and with the songs labeled as Roman numerals, you can tell they were going for a sum experience rather than picking out individual highlights. But straight from the start of "VI" (the enumeration continues from a prior EP release), and its slower, biting rhythm and an ominous low choir tone rolling out in an almost meditative manner, you can tell that they're going for a little more of a fulfilling, dynamic range than your garden variety necrotic European black metal entity. This is really brought through in the production, which is huge and clear and bright without sacrificing the aggression the group is capable of ripping into when they explode into a blast beat sequence. The vocals, a familiar, enormous and often sustained rasp, might seem a little more traditional to the style than some of the riffing selections, but I loved how they anchored both the faster and slower progressions with this level of sickening angst that smoothly transitions the two. I think it's the rhythm guitar tone on End of Chapter, however, which exemplifies the record's balance of the jarring and fluid, with a slightly post-hardcore motif embedded in the dissonance of various chord selections.

First couple tunes are solid, no doubt, but once you get into that opening groove of "IX" you're starting to encounter the album's finer moments, where the riffs just cling to your memory with a bit more rock & roll charm. "XI" is also a favorite for its modest but driving, creepy potency. The production and moving nature of their songwriting also has the power to overcome track lengths that I might otherwise find too swollen, especially on the songs near the middle of the order. As with their labelmates Deluge, these guys are extremely consistent, but I find this record a lot catchier and more emotionally resonant. If you're looking for the next Deafheaven or Ghost Bath, you'd be better to seek them elsewhere; likewise, Au-Dessus doesn't get as spastic or grating as modern NYBM like Krallice, but if you'd be interested in what Blut Aus Nord's post-industrial material might have sounded like if it were more vocal-driven and packed a harder punch, track this down.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/audessusabove

Folkearth - Rulers of the Sea (2009)

Folkearth remains an intriguing concept: assemble a host of musicians from various folk/pagan metal bands, and create a series of albums which explore Norse history and mythology. It's a theme which has been beaten to death for many years now, but how often has it been beaten to death by committee? Rulers of the Sea is the 7th album in 5 years from this project, and this time out involves members of Dol Amroth, Frekkr, Folkodia, Hildr Valkyrie, Skiltron, Black Knight Symphonia, Excelsis, Sunuthar, Minhyriath and Seventh Sword.

Unfortunately, like its predecessors, it's really not that good. Sure, Folkearth uses all the appropriate instruments to construct a folk metal album: woodwinds, acoustics, and keyboards flow throughout the band's mug pounding pagan black metal core. Each track has its balance of melodies and raging rhythms, but the mix is rarely balanced well, with the folk instrumentation often blaring streaming too loudly over the central band. Multiple vocals are used, which range from average black barks to dorky clean vocals ("The Doomed Crusade" is an example) and surprisingly decent female cleans (also "The Doomed Crusade"). The metal riffs are serviceable but rarely stand out. It's as if most of the music was shelved from better folk metal albums by good bands, and then purchased wholesale and assembled to provide you this record. A few tracks poke the prows of their dragonships out beyond the crested waves of mediocrity, but it was an underwhelming experience.

Highlights: Cosmogenesis, I Am Fire, Apollonian Light

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

http://www.folkearth.cjb.net/

Obtest - Gyvybës Medis (2008)

The pride of Lithuanian pagan metal returns for their fourth album, a monstrous effort which is not only their magnum opus, but the best straight folk metal album I've heard this year. This is a huge leap for the band, their previous albums weren't even remotely this professional and memorable, and it marks their transition to the Osmose Productions roster, who evidently agree upon the talent of the band in this new direction.

Obtest has evolved from blacker roots into what I can only describe as pagan/folk speed metal. The riffs involve fast, charging riffs endowed with catchy melodies and the native lyrics of Baalberith. "Apeigos" starts things right with its hypnotic leads and an amazing melody beneath the chorus. "Vedlys" features another fast paced, triumphant sounding melody with pagan gang vocals and a ripping bridge section. "Sviesa" picks up things even more with a pure, classic speed metal intro and then some swelling charge riffs over the great vocals. The title track is the first to slow it down a little, another engaging melody engraves the song immediately into memory. "Sakalo Vaikai" gives the impression of melodic power metal throughout, but the vocals bring it back to Obtest. The rest of the songs are quite fast as well, except the closer "Ikaitai" which is glorious and melodic but more of a driving mid pace.

The style here really helps Obtest stand out from the ever crowding pagan/folk metal scene. They've got a vibrant and uplifting style to them which never treads on the ground the usual suspects (Finntroll, Thyrfing, Moonsorrow, etc) have already tread. Blazing and victorious, the band never requires an excess of complexity to their music because what they compose is simple and extremely catchy. The production of the album is fantastic, nothing over the top but you can clearly pick out everything you'd like to hear. It's a shame I have yet to translate the lyrics, but I'd love to read them, and hope they'll be as endearing as the rest of the album.

Gyvybës Medis is a superb and original folk metal album which has excited me amidst a sea of stale, samey sounding albums which rely on flighty, silly folk nuance rather than truly embracing an ethnic feel and raging with it. Obtest succeed with flying colors and have earned a spot atop the heap of pagan metal hopefuls. Cannot wait to hear what they do next, as this is a favorite for me this year!

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.obtest.lt/