Acathexis breaks the silence with its second album.
Born of the international collaboration between Dany Tee (vocals, Los Males del Mundo), Déhà (guitar/bass, Chaînes, Cult of Erinyes, Drache, Horrible, Imber Luminis, Maladie, Slow, Wolvennest…) and Jacob Buczarski (drums, Mare Cognitum, Det Eviga Leendet), the project delivered a split as well as a debut album in 2018, then made us wait until 2024 to release Immerse, its second album, on Amor Fati Productions.
Dreams of Scorched Mirrors begins by bewitching us with hazy notes, but the cloud of oppressive saturation coupled with the wrenching vocals quickly cloud our minds while granting a few brief lulls. The stabbing melodies join the suffocating rhythm, while the screams haunt the desolate landscape, which seems to slow down before bursting into flames one last time, leading us to Adrift in Endless Tides and its chilling Old School tones. The riffs envelop us in this state of mental apathy while hitting us with a steady beat, while the vocalist unleashes his fury, diversifying his appearances to freeze our blood before allowing us a slight moment of floating, followed by a veritable eruption of darkness. The Other quickly takes over with an initial mysterious approach, complemented by impressive riffs and those same visceral screams, as well as a few more discreet melodies in the background, reminiscent of the soothing break within which the band lets us drift. The quietness is unsurprisingly broken by a new wave of darkness that carries us through to A Slow, Weary Wind and its ominous harmonies, which accompany the arrival of a majestic slowness in which the raw roots express themselves while letting our minds wander to the rhythm of the stunned strikes, then on to this passage with soaring Shoegaze influences. Obscure saturation is reborn, first calmly, then at full speed to welcome the gripping wails of the vocalist, who draws ever deeper into despair to mark us until the end of this intense album.
Though discreet, Acathexis has never ceased to exist. Immerse proves not only the international band’s comeback, but also its heart-rending power, unfathomable darkness and motivation to haunt us.
95/100