Lustre “Reverence”

    The undeniably extraordinary one-man atmospheric/ambient black metal act, Lustre, allows listeners the opportunity to enter into a monumental sounding atmospheric realm with the release of the new digital EP titled, “Reverence.” After the Swedish based artist known as, Nachtzeit, graced us with a phenomenal full-length Lustre album last year called, “A Thirst for Summer Rain,” he has returned with more breath taking arrangements and haunting atmospheric musical landscapes. 

    Compared to, “A Thirst for Summer Rain,” this new digital EP explores different sounding elements that reminded of earlier Lustre recordings where the music is shrouded in a veil of tranquil darkness, while also giving off a very melancholy tone at times. The music freely flows through these forlorn sounding realms accompanied by some solemn yet extremely soothing melodies. I felt as though there was a tremendous amount of emphasis placed on the keyboard arrangements. Also, the track establishes a more celestially ambient feel at times compared to previous Lustre albums such as “Wonder” and “A Thirst For Summer Rain,” that seem to reflect and focus on ideas surrounding nature. The vocals provided by J.J. from Harakiri for the Sky add a unique touch to the overall composition, which definitely compliments the song’s spectral sounding tone. 

    This track reminded me a bit of past Lustre song’s such as, “Echoes of Transcendence” and “Lunar Light,” where the keyboard parts start off sounding very faint and distant, but eventually become more prominent as the music evolves. Once again, Nachtzeit is a brilliant composer and truly one of the most gifted minds in the world of atmospheric and ambient music. He really understands how to capture the listener’s attention by composing such immense as well as compelling soundscapes. Where some artists in this world get lost in a sea of generic and forgettable compositions, Nachtzeit is able to incorporate a plethora of creative ideas while keeping you engaged for the full twenty minutes during the song. 

    Overall, “Reverence,” is something that I would highly recommend checking out if you are a fan of Lustre and atmospheric black metal in general. For many years Lustre has gained constant recognition and praise from the atmospheric/ambient black metal community for the sheer amount of exceptional recordings. When you listen to a track from Lustre, you truly become possessed by the colossal sounding wave of raw distortion along with the gracefully dynamic keyboard compositions. If you’re ever looking for music to comfort you and to help you forget about all the chaos of everyday life, then any recording from Lustre is always a perfect choice. 

Check out the song "Reverence" below:

Lustre Bandcamp:

https://lustre.bandcamp.com/album/reverence