(written by Islander)
The black metal band Empeiria (a word intended to mean “the un-tangible, the negation of limit”) arrive like some flaming meteor suddenly surging through a night sky.
A mysterious German duo who go by the names π and η, their first recording is a debut album that caught the attention of Vendetta Records, which will release it on June 6th. The album’s name is The Ascent: Szenen der Katharsis, and we have this description of its narrative progression:
The Ascent: Szenen der Katharsis is a tripartite concept album tracing the journey of the lyrical protagonist through three emotional stages: tormenting doubts and guilt (I–III), growing confidence (IV–VI), and existential realization (VII). The atmosphere and compositional approach of the seven tracks reflect these evolving themes.
What we have for you today is a premiere stream of the album’s fourth track. And we have this introduction of that specific song to share with you as well:
“IV” is a central piece of the record in more than just its sheer position on the tracklist. Symbolising a significant turning point in the cathartic journey of the lyrical I, the eerie chants and unsettling howls of the track’s middle section are relentlessly pushing towards a simple but substantial question of existentialism.
The guest appearances of Maria (Maria del Campanile) on vocals and Caroline (Caroline Salmona) on violin are crucial in elevating the track to a saturnine realm, adding atmospheric depth and amplifying its sombre essence.
Sometimes you have to embrace your misery, engulf the fear that paralyzes your thoughts – “Praise pain” – for a cathartic relief.
Vendetta describe Empeiria‘s approach: “With a sound shaped by furious frenzy, cutting melodies, choral chants, and atmospheric gloom, the band draws on three decades of soot-blackened Scandinavian extreme metal without strict adherence to genre boundaries.”
In the case of “IV” those words ring true. The song definitely brings black metal ferocity, but it reaches beyond genre conventions in order to create divergent experiences. Like the lyrical themes of both the song and the album as a whole, the music has a narrative quality, like the unfolding of events in an elaborate piece of theater, multi-faceted in both its sensations and its emotional qualities.
The song’s opening is both an attack and an ecstasy. Driven by blasting and battering drums and riffage that fires like a high-caliber weapon, the music mounts a rapid assault — but a clear-toned melody whirls and spirals above the fray, creating a feeling of glorious jubilation.
From there, the music twists and turns in riveting fashion. Continuing to elaborately combine harsh and harrowing sounds with brilliantly ethereal ones, and bringing in fanatical howls, the song creates moods of tension and turmoil, of desperation and fear, and it does so with an engulfing effect.
In a break from that intensity, the song also includes quavering exotic chants backed by rumbling drums and a gravel-toned bass, eventually joined by both hostile growls and theatrical singing by the band’s guest Maria.
The music expands and elevates, reaching a zenith of distressing delirium. The drums furiously thunder, the rich collage of other piercing sounds roils and writhes in a display of frantic splendor. But one more twist is still to come — with the advent of a slowly and soulfully wailing violin solo that itself becomes more frantic, leading toward a final catharsis of explosive intensity.
All in all, the song is breathtaking, head-spinning, lavish… and a startling preview of what is suddenly a highly anticipated debut album.
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Markus Stock at Klangschmiede Studio E. As noted, it will be released on June 6th. After its release you can order the album on CD and LP via the first Vendetta link below.
VENDETTA:
https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/
https://vendetta-records.com/
https://vendetta-records.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/vendettarecs/
EMPEIRIA:
https://nexusempeiria.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nexusempeiria