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

Htor "Primitive Demonstrations"

    Creating a musical world absent of any lyrical content allows for an artist to place great emphasis each and every sound when recording an album. Htor is an acoustic ambient project based out of Canada that uses the natural world for inspiration in forming vibrant and solemn compositions where the acoustic guitar leads listeners through a celestial forest of endless wonder. 

    “Primitive Demonstrations,” is a release that I find shares a similar mentality to that of atmospheric black metal by pulling listeners into a musical realm of unconventional, yet mesmerizing sounds. Like some of your current ambient, dungeon synth and atmospheric black metal acts, Htor experiments with compositions that are not overly complicated in terms of technicality, but instead focuses on strong emotional sounding arrangements. 

    I think the acoustic arrangements on this album are thoughtfully crafted and they never lose their luster as the music evolves throughout the album. Honestly, the album’s overall ambience and production really stands out to where you always feel drawn into this fascinating world of calming sounds that truly make you feel as though you are gazing across magnificent vast forest far from the prison like confines of suburbia. 

    The opening track, “Going Back,” introduces listeners to the artist’s creative vision and gives a glimpse into what is to be heard going forward. I think the album flows with great synergy compared to some ambient releases I have listened to over the years, which is a very important factor I look for when reviewing. I tend become agitated when an artist just slams together a cluster of instrumental pieces that sound completely bipolar and chaotically composed. 

    As the album progresses with songs like, “Sol Deau” and “An Ageless Face in the Forest,” you hear the music’s emotional drive start to pick up at times with different tempos and chord progressions. I think my favorite song off of the album is, “On a Rainy Day,” because I thought the acoustic guitar arrangement created a powerful soundscape that transitioned towards the end into a solemn conclusion. You can feel the notes of the acoustic guitar echo out like drops of rain as they fall amongst a sea of lush green trees. 

    I believe, “Primitive Demonstrations” is an album highly worth checking out, mainly because this is an album that was thoughtfully put together. I have been reviewing enough by now to tell when an album was tossed together to make a band feel like they are still relevant, or is an attempt for a local band to pump their chests amongst the local scene. In the case of Htor, this is an artist looking to express their creative visions through ambient pathways of amazing acoustic riff structures. Artistic integrity and honest musical expression is hard to come by these days, which is sad because there are plenty of phenomenal acts out there working hard. People just need to do their research, or they really need to listen to me when I tell them to check out a certain band! 

Htor bandcamp:

https://htorchants.bandcamp.com/