(Our Norway-based writer Chile reviews the debut album of the Spanish black metal band Ultima, released last month by Obscurant Visions.)
The beauty of loving different genres of music, and in particular, different genres of metal, gives us the opportunity and a benefit of reaching out for precisely that single piece of music that befits our current state of mind.
Be it something hellishly heavy, calmingly droning, or just something in the middle, no one can argue that the selection of riches is not adequate. We are talking about decades upon decades of talented musicians spoiling us for choice.
Moving through those boundless vasts, we are today travelling to Spain for a fresh dose of black metal conjured in the deepest dwellings of the psyche tailored for anyone bearing a heavy mind, courtesy of Ultima and their just released debut album I: Katabasis.
The man responsible for this album goes by the initials of DB (or according to other sources, the approximation of the name is Daniel B.) and is already well-known, not just on these pages, for his other projects, them being Délirant, Hässlig and Negativa.
A casual glance over their respective discographies reveals a fairly productive number of years with a prolific number of quality releases spread over those three projects. Ultima thus marks the fourth distinctive musical entity within the creator’s opus and just adds further to the growing reputation.
Now, adding another project to your name also brings about the potential danger of watering down the pool of creativity, but fear not, for I: Katabasis is a tremendous piece of black metal. As you surely know, Délirant is the well-read, dissonant child, Hässlig is a punkish rebel of the family, while Negativa is that daughter of the night feeding off your inner fears.
Where does this leaves us with Ultima? Well, somebody has to dwell in the vast underground dungeons bound to the abyssal dimensions, chained eternally to that never-mending heart of darkness, the human soul. Indeed, cold is the void.
And truly, coldness and distance are the first two words that come to mind when the intro track “Hermeticism” opens its inner eye on us, like a lingering doubt in something beyond our senses. With katabasis generally meaning descent or a journey to the underworld, we are definitely not in Kansas (or Spain, for that matter) anymore.
Just to confirm this, aptly titled “A Labyrinth Beneath Reality” leaves us disoriented, not knowing which way to turn. It’s as if the music itself is coming from another place, hearing its echoes swirl over the high walls of this maze, so close, yet so far away. The rich textures reveal a complex inner structure with the guitars constantly pushing us towards an incomprehensible rapture.
Melodic flourishes abound throughout the album and I: Katabasis will appeal to any fan of those leanings in their black metal, but also as evidenced by “Cryptic Spiral of Wisdom” there is a strong melancholic thread being pulled on by those that tremble in their restlessness, for those who slave away by day cannot find any peace at night.
Uneasiness continues with “Catacombs of the Sun” riding on a seemingly simple riff, but then as a voice from another world, a melody rises after the first minute or so, like a dream you’ve just woken up from, with the images still imprinted in your memory, but the words escape you and the horizon is vanishing before your eyes.
All of this leads into the final ten minutes of the title track which picks up some speed and the rasping voices emanating from therein lead us into the apocalypse. The song has seemingly a couple of distinct parts alternating between fast, atmospheric, and then faster again, weaving throughout the slow, picked riffs that hold everything in its right place.
In the end, a creative streak is a harsh mistress for some, but DB eschews the potential downfall by delivering a blazing black metal statement in the form of I: Katabasis. The name of the album implies that this is the first part of a trilogy (or so the label also says, I myself am not prophetic, unless drinking), and obviously, there is no set timeline on when we can expect the second part, but that just gives us more time to enjoy this first gem.
I: Katabasis is out now independently and on Obscurant Visions in all available formats. Orders for the record and all related merchandise are possible via label and Bandcamp stores.
https://ultimabm.bandcamp.com/album/i-katabasis
https://obscurantvisions.bandcamp.com/album/ultima-i-katabasis