A short one for an ‘older’ release, but just too exceptional to ignore…
For the release of their fifth studio album, Austria’s finest Asphagor signed a deal with the mighty Immortal Frost Productions community. The result, called The Aphotic Vortex, is an eleven-tracker that clocks thirty-seven minutes or so; half of the tracks being ‘average-lengthy’ pieces (four up to five minutes), interluded by as much shorter intermezzi that last one and a half to two minutes.
Purely informative: Morgoth (vocals and artwork), M.E. Sargoth (drums, guitars), P.P.Lps (bass, synths), M.Zanesco (lyrics, strings, backing vox), and Hybreos (guitars and layout).
The album starts with the ominous Drone / Noise-based intro Procession (01:21), yet as from Gates Of Manifested Hell (the longest piece with its duration of 5:10 minutes), things become more intense, grim and harsh. The track stands for a militaristic, rhythmic and somewhat grooving form of slow-paced Black Metal, injected by elements of Doom-Death Metal (riff-wise), DSBM (certain melodic textures), Sludge (that’s evident) and Post-Black Metal (the rather complex rhythms). There’s a lot of variety going on, in tempo, structure, and atmosphere (besides the aforementioned amalgam of related or injected styles). Vocally too, the use of both grunting screams and hoarse yelling, it’s quite apart. Mind the unique drum patterns as well, the hypnotic guitar intermezzi, the different alternations in tempo, and the remarkable intermezzi in between the main compositions. The latter, these shorter excerpts, with both electric and / or acoustic instruments, synths, and field recordings, dwell in spheres of Cinematic Dark Ambient, claustrophobic Horror Drone, or even martial Psycho Grind (Path To Devotion Pt. I).
The focus, however, lies on the ‘metallic’ side, and each piece is unique. I described the opener in the former paragraph, but the other ones are at least as interesting. Mind the martial percussion at the beginning of Into The Storm (before the whole evolves into an epic, psychoid and enigmatic piece of deadly blackened elegance), or the rumbling force that pushes Rites Of Embarkation (I adore these mesmeric leads and the asphyxiating doom-laden semi-acoustic intermezzo, as well as these evocative choir vocals). And what about the complex techniques used in Path To Devotion Pt. II, with these semi-jazzy bass-lines, post-progressive acoustic excerpt, or those turbulent drums. The drums, by the way, are exclusively highly qualified (actually, everything is -so are the voices and strings-, but I want to make a point), with truly remarkable, breath-taking passages, varying from progressive over militant to blasting, and everything in between.
FYI: Asphagor hail from the Tyroler Mountains in Austria. The band formed in 2007 and released their first album (Havoc) in 2010. The Aphotic Vortex is their fifth full-length, and their debut for Immortal Frost Productions. It was released on two different limited types of vinyl (with poster and lyric sheet), and on compact-disc too (including a sixteen-page booklet), evidently, recorded with assistance of no-one else but Vic Santura at the famous Woodshed Studio.
The artwork, finally, was done by guitar player Hybreos and vocalist Morgoth in co-operation with the label’s partner WrathDesign (for layout and design duties), and shows a sinking sail ship in turbulent waters, sailing over an ocean of tortured souls during an all-devastating storm. I adore the color palette, dark, almost black-and-whitish, with some hints of fire-based elements (like the title). It does profoundly fit to the destructive nature of the sonic content.
Another Immortal Frost Productions recommendation!
https://immortalfrostproductions1.bandcamp.com/album/the-aphotic-vortex