Lord Azathoth’s Dream has return.
Two years after the success of their debut album, the duo L. Azathoth (all instruments) and Necroblaster (drums) continue to honor the legacy of French Black Metal with Solitary Forest Necromancy, their second album.
Malefic Spellcraft welcomes us with the distant and mysterious sound of keyboards and wind, calmly joining Death Denied and its ethereal yet icy approach, in which the vocals add a terrifying touch. The atmosphere is both heavy and quite gentle, taking advantage of a hazy Old School mix and a few more mystical touches to develop its contrast before Ancient Black Blood envelops us in its haunting sounds. The harmonics are also very melancholic, adding an extra layer to the suffocating mass that prevails and joins the eponymous track Solitary Forest Necromancy to continue to take us on its dreamlike adventure. The sound remains as intense as ever, accelerating or slowing down at times to punctuate our dark journey, which leads us to the dissonant Malevolence Enshrined, where we discover more imposing passages but also very catchy moments where the drums lead the way. Coven of the Ancient Black Flame slows our progress once again, developing anguished tones thanks to the keyboards that blend perfectly with the apathetic approach, which eventually accelerates to join Exsanguinated and Impaled and its sharp harmonics. The composition is significantly more aggressive, taking advantage of lively leads and its imposing base to welcome the vocalist’s screams before adopting more intriguing keyboards on Heed the Call, a track where the guitars also seem rooted in more melodious Pagan influences. Although it is the longest track on the album, it passes fairly quickly, leading into Under Cover of Night, where the vocals haunt a virulent instrumental that gives us only a few moments of respite as it plunges into medieval influences. The track also proves somewhat haunting as it picks up speed again, finally reaching Beyond the Veil of this Reality, which marks the end of the album with cosmic keyboards bordering on the unreal, allowing us to gently emerge from this dark universe.
With this second album, Azathoth’s Dream remains firmly rooted in its origins, which, although geographically distant, are perfectly exploited on Solitary Forest Necromancy. The album is a true dream.
90/100