It’s hard to believe that five years have gone by since the last, and first, Asathor record. A lot of things have changed, as has the band’s lineup, but that did not stop the quintet from releasing a new collection of songs, titled Quenta Mir: Sangwa a bit more than two weeks ago.
I reckon it’s safe to say that thematically and musically the band has returned to its roots, with the music being more in the realm of black metal and the concept of these five songs dealing with nerd shit again. I kid, I kid: it’s about Middle Earth, but more specically some of the earlier stories described in the Silmarillion, that happen long before the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books.
The bigger focus on the black metal aspect also leads to the songs being longer and more atmospheric, but therefore also more repetitive, which I don’t even mean in a negative way. It’s just a different experience than before. The riffs, however, are still filled with as much despair and hopelessness and they make diving into these twenty-four minutes very easy.
It has been a while since I listened to the predecessor but the drums feel a lot more technical and intricate this time around, with a lot of little fills left and right, and yet again they build a truly solid foundation for the stringed instruments to shine. Also turning out to be the secret star is the bass, with some of the bass lines standing out as more than just small accents.
The biggest change are the vocals though: at some point during these five years, Asathor split ways with their previous singer and recruited the singer from the remnants of a now defunct band. I made it clear last time that I absolutely adored the previous singer’s performance and I must admit that I was saddened when I heard about his departure, but the new vocals not only do him justice, but they bring a completely new aspect to the band’s sound: theatrics!
The agony-filled screams and moans during the closing track, Anfauglith, are enough to give me goosebumps. But of course the singer also masters regular screams and the typical black metal vocals, which create an overall very well rounded-off performance.
All in all, Quenta Mir: Sangwa, while quite different is a very worthy follow-up album and it’s almost good enough to make me pick up the Silmarillion again after abondoning it out of sheer boredom…but only almost. Either way, you should give the album a listen yourself and you can do so below. For more information about the band and to keep up to date, head over to their Facebook page.