Science fiction is rife with good sagas, multi-part movies that stretch over decades and generations, linking characters and storylines that create a bigger whole and meld a unique fictional universe. Metal isn’t foreign to this concept either as we’ve followed the loose Voivod adventures, the actions in Blashyrkh, and the plots that have carried over some of King Diamond’s albums.
Cincinnati’s Valdrin is the latest example of this kind of artistic endeavor, and their excellent fourth record “Throne of the Lunar Soul” is the next chapter of the Ausadjur Mythos, the plotline following main character Valdrin Ausadjur, this time after he has returns home following a failed mission to quell an insurrection, so he now waits in judgement for his shortcomings. Yet there’s more boiling beneath the surface. The music accompanying this installment of the tale is a mighty 11-track, 74-minute monster of a double album that the band—vocalist, guitarist, keyboard player Carter Hicks, guitarist Colton, bassist James Lewis, drummer Ryan Maurmeier—commits to fully musically and from a creative standpoint, making it their most ambitious release so far, one that balances excitement and dread in their glorious black metal.
“Neverafter” is a rousing opener, the symphonic black metal making your heart race as the drama sweeps, the playing crushes. The force eventually goes clean, the speaking pushing the story along, the playing crushing and melting as the energy bursts at the end. “Golden Walls of Ausadjur” unloads twisting guitars and a synth cloud, vile blasts that go for the head making their impact. The playing is fiery and fantastical, trudging through as the keys sprawl, vile howls mangling in the darkness. Classical synth injects power, the steady mists increase, and the final bend storms home. “Seven Swords (In the Arsenal of Steel)” brings synth pumps and ripping leads, the black metal fury forming a storm front as Hicks howls about “fighting for a cause unrevealed.” Symphonic melodies surge as the blood pools, and everything comes to a scorching finish. “Paladins of Ausadjur” arrives with racing synth and melodic leads, feeling inspired by Maiden’s strongest era, vile cackles echoing in the dark. Huge melodies overwhelm as the keys go on a ferocious run, glorious clean calls gets adrenaline surging, and great dual leads add to the flooding excitement. Keys zap, the energy combusts, and folk-like movements take on electrified chaos that feels very inspired by European death metal. “Sojourner Wolf” fires up with creative guitar work and catchy sparks, the playing speeding up and teasing as the keys layer. The intensity blasts as the vocals get more intense, the playing rampaging through blinding power, bending around corners and flooding with power. Acoustics move in to cool off the temps, but that’s temporary as everything rips anew, and Hicks wails, “I still worship the dark, for it is the flame that will carry my soul to the end.”
“The Hierophant” stomps and loosens rock, vicious growls splatter, and the guitars catch fire and lather, leaving you heaving. The energy manages to overflow as the synth ices the swelling burn wounds, charging out into melodic fire. “Vagrant in the Chamber of Night” enters amid synth layers, and then everything rips apart, huge gusts tasking your brain for a ride, the savagery multiplying as the howls feel more acidic. Shrieks maim as the drama collects, the playing jars and charges, and everything is swallowed into the mouth of the oncoming storm. “Holy Matricide” enters in an acoustic swirl, channeled shrieks dare you to move, and frosty synth leaves you shivering and searching for any source of warmth. Acoustics rush as whispering sends additional chills, and then the pace returns to crushing, frigid overtures taking you under, a fast, relentless attack taking hold, and a wondrous haze wrapping around you and arresting you in dreams. The title track starts cleanly enough, the guitars tingling, the keys bathing in progressive waters, soaring and electrifying. There’s a hidden pop sensibility in this, which makes for an interesting twist, and it’s not long before the massive leads electrify, the keys adding an extra glaze. Guitars increase the humidity, the fogs thicken, and wild cries hammer away, leaving bruised flesh behind. “Two Carrion Talismans” brings clashing guitars and keys dancing, the fiery nature soon overwhelming, tornadic riffs leaving untold amounts of damage. The leads open up, turning the track daring and dangerous, adding sting to its assault, the final wail of, “Hear my cry!” swirling in the wind. Closer “Hymn to the Convergence” is a synth-driven, mystical instrumental that pushes the orchestral elements, letting your mind wander into the deepest reaches of your imagination.
“Throne of the Lunar Soul” is quite the serving from Valdrin, but it never feels overstuffed or too much to handle. This is arguably the most exciting entry in their four-album catalog, a triumph of an effort that could be considered their finest hour once all is said and done. The story of the character Valdrin might take a turn for the worse lyrically, but there’s a triumph to this music, a power that permeates everything they do, and something’s telling me this isn’t the last we’ll hear from our hero as he sits and waits for what’s going to happen next in Ausadjur.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/valdrinausadjur
To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/?s=valdrin&post_type=product
For more on the label, go here: https://www.bloodharvest.se/
Meat Mead Metal 