Extreme metal finds fertile soil in nearly every corner of the globe, though the soil is undeniably less hospitable in some places than others. It is, for example, more difficult for such musicians to become noticed (and possibly more difficult even to indulge their creative interests) in a country like Tunisia, a land where many ancient cultures intersect in the northern-most geography of Africa. But there, Ayyur was born 16 years ago, and has managed to survive and, against all odds, even to thrive.
After Ayyur‘s inception, Metal Archives shows us that the project quickly released an EP, a pair of splits, and a demo in its early years, but then fell silent for nearly a decade. Beginning in 2018 Ayyur has returned, releasing three EPs with only two-year gaps between them (including last year’s Hidden Room Sessions I), and now the band has at last completed a debut album named Prevail, a title which seems to stand for what the band itself has managed to do.
We’re told by the labels which will release it that through this new album of blackened doom metal “the artist observes the desolating reality which surrounds them, finding a personal path and the answers to their own questions”. It is thus also described as “an intimate album, strongly introspective and ruthless at the same time, with lyrics sharp and pungent like blades”.
We’ve had positive things to say about each of the band’s trio of recent EPs (in writings collected here), and so the appearance of this debut album will be a welcome event for us, particularly because the first track to be disclosed from it — the song we’re premiering today — is so powerfully immersive.
“A Chant for the Deafs” is spellbinding, but it’s also undeniably a very chilling experience, one that seems wondrously expansive in its scope but also desolate, even though it’s also home to grooves that exert a primeval attraction
Needling tones and haunting ambient sounds greet the listener’s ears, faint at first but swelling, until a hefty bass, booming drums, and deep, frightening growls join in. Mysterious glimmering tones seem to wail in swirls, channeling a mood of bereavement but also creating an unearthly atmosphere.
The cold imperiousness of the roaring proclamations rise in intensity, and the lead-guitar writhes in agony and generates jolting pulses in the midst of those rolling waves of ambient sound. The song seems to end, almost falling silent, but the music swells again in a semblance of cold cosmic splendor above the rhythm section’s compulsive thrust.
It’s not only us that have fallen prey to Ayyur‘s music, because Prevail will be released on April 7th in a variety of formats by a quartet of labels. A white vinyl edition will be co-released by Xenoglossy Productions (Italy), Hidden Rooms Recordings (Tunisia/France), and Dead Red Queen Records (US). A cassette edition will be forthcoming from Hidden Rooms, and a CD edition from Armées de la Mort Records (France).
For more info about these options, check the links below.
PRE-ORDER INFO:
XENOGLOSSY:
https://xenoglossyproductions.bandcamp.com/album/prevail
https://xenoglossyproductions.limitedrun.com/products/739302-ayyur-prevail
HIDDEN ROOMS:
https://hiddenroomsrecordingstn.bandcamp.com/album/prevail
DEAD RED QUEEN:
http://deadredqueenrecords.limitedrun.com/products/739217-ayyur-prevail-vinyl-lp-30
ARMÉE DE LA MORT:
https://armeedelamortrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://armeedelamortrecords.com/
FOLLOW AYYUR:
https://ayyur.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Ayyur.BM
https://www.instagram.com/ayyur_official/