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Artwork by: Mariusz Lewandowski<\/p>\nArtwork by: Mariusz Lewandowski<\/p>\n
Style: Atmospheric black metal, post-metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Summoning, Alcest, Sylvaine
Country: Norway
Release date: 4 April 2025<\/p>\n
If you frequent online progressive metal spaces, you\u2019ve likely seen memes of people deriding \u2018slow-burn\u2019 bands or tracks that generally don\u2019t go anywhere. One I see often shows an ascendant silhouette with the caption \u2018Tool<\/strong> fans fifteen minutes into the worst song you\u2019ve ever heard\u2019. Regardless of your opinions on Tool<\/strong>, the meme raises a simple-yet-effective point: there is nothing more frustrating than a slow-burn track that never truly ignites. So when I found out that one-man atmoblack project Eldamar<\/strong> had transitioned away from his magical, Tolkien-inspired origins to something more akin to long-form post-metal with the sensibilities of atmoblack, my eyebrow raised. Could Mathias Hemmingby distill his exploratory sound into a focused crescendoing fire on latest release, Astral Journeys, Pt. II: Dissolution, or does the record fizzle out before it can catch flame?<\/p>\n Astral Journeys II is the second half of a four-\u2019Akt\u2019 piece with a focus on the themes of euphoria in the moments before death. Each of Astral Journeys II\u2019s \u2018Akts\u2019 are extended post-metal tracks that vacillate between Jeremy Soule<\/strong>-style orchestral atmospherics, jangly 90s alt-rock guitars, and cinematic buildups into atmospheric black metal riffage. Each piece features multiple buildups, starting more narrow in scope with a focus on approaching the buildup and then exploring ideas more freely within the crescendos. While harsh and clean vocalizations are peppered throughout each track, only the first third of \u201cAkt III\u201d features lyrics as a means of establishing Astral Journeys II\u2019s point-of-view.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The prevalent symphonics work the hardest to sell Astral Journeys II\u2019s ideas, used both as a tool for establishing atmosphere and later as a means to augment the more grand and cinematic moments. \u201cAkt III\u201d introduces the record with hazy, dreamy atmospherics and pulsating synthesizers, later swelling in tandem with a tempo increase and transmuting jangly guitar work into a vast technicolor expanse. In a similar fashion, \u201cAkt IV\u201d begins with Soule<\/strong>-style orchestration which later acts as a central focus for its climax, vamping what sounds like the first seven seconds of House of Pain<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cJump Around\u201d on repeat. Take that how you will.<\/p>\n This extended vamping at the end of \u201cAkt IV\u201d is a microcosm of Astral Journeys II\u2019s flaws. The record undoubtedly features some gorgeous instrumentation and lush soundscaping, even throwing in a series of killer guitar\/keyboard melodies to maintain interest across its runtime. At the same time, there is a nagging insistence that tracks must continue well after they reach their peak. Both of these Akts dawdle endlessly and end up massively overstaying their welcome. The \u201cJump Around\u201d outro of \u201cAkt IV\u201d would be much more palatable if it wasn\u2019t at the end of an overlong and bumbling journey and then repeated for three minutes. Additionally, the gorgeous buildup of \u201cAkt III\u201d and its subsequent cooldown would have made for a much more sensible end than extending the track a further nine minutes. Should Eldamar <\/strong>be interested in continuing this style, dialing back the song lengths just a touch and indulging in the pleasant interplay between orchestration and melody would bring a much stronger focus to the more compelling ideas that make up Astral Journeys II.<\/p>\n In the face of post-metal, it\u2019s easy to decry any criticism of its length as an issue of patience, but Astral Journeys, Pt II: Dissolution is a prime case of a record resting too long on the laurels of a good idea. Its orchestration is undoubtedly lush and gorgeous, intertwining nicely with the keyboards and the more pleasant guitar melodies, but the approach of maintaining a climactic excitement after reaching the natural peak of a piece ends up wearing on the listener more than it keeps them in that initial euphoria. If patience is a virtue, then dawdling is a sin.<\/p>\n Recommended tracks: Akt III Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Spotify<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Metal-Archives<\/a> Eldamar<\/strong> is: \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
You may also like: Ashlands<\/a>, Karg<\/a>, Unreqvited<\/a>, Skyforest, Lustre
Final verdict: 5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Label: Northern Silence Productions \u2013 Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2013 Mathias Hemmingby (everything)<\/p>\n