Ashbringer‘s cocoon is once again open.
Three years after their last album, the band led by Nick Stranger (guitar/vocals/keyboards), Nathan Wallestad (bass), Jackson Catton (guitar/backing vocals/keyboards), and Andy Meyer (drums) has signed with Bölverk Collective to unveil their fifth album, Subglacial.
My Flesh Shows its Weakness begins with light, modern keyboards, but transforms into a visceral, hazy soundwave as screams take over the mix, immediately creating an oppressive yet ethereal atmosphere. The backing vocals join the lead vocals to increase the aggression tenfold, while the leads captivate us, carrying our minds away until the break, which is calm at first and then becomes a little chaotic, finally joining Waning Conviction and its dissonance, half-masked by tranquility. The screams in the background create a fascinating ghostly touch, but we feel the intensity slowly building, and the saturation eventually takes over while remaining in this minimalist atmosphere, just like the solo that comes to the fore without overdoing it, then the track ends gently to make way for Subglacial, the eponymous track. The sounds develop slowly, almost imperceptibly, then explode suddenly and carry us away in their fury, sometimes adopting Old School touches that contrast with the backlash of their madness and the false sweetness that envelops us before giving way to Fleeing into Portals, which immediately captivates us in turn. Post-Rock touches are very present in the first part of the track, but the guitar takes off and revives the whirlwind of darkness that eventually becomes almost joyful before handing over to Send Him to the Lake, which offers us a much more nervous and jerky rhythm, contrasting with the few moments of hesitation. Clean and saturated vocals come together in a surprising duet, and finally Vessels welcomes us to close the album, offering the shortest composition, but also the most changeable, capable of shifting from airy, almost prog moments to such an outpouring of rage before simply coming to an end.
I had lost track of Ashbringer, and it’s a real pleasure to rediscover this tortured and contrasting sound! Subglacial grabs us by the guts, cajoles us, roars, bubbles, calms down, moans, and finally hypnotizes us to give us a great time.
95/100