Aetherius Obscuritas - Viziok Review
by Mark Hensch
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There are admittedly few one man black metal bands that win me over easily but Aetherius Obscuritas is one of them. In what is yet another sign that Eastern Europe is currently producing some of the best black metal around, this Hungarian outfit has crafted a wicked album with Viziok.
Conceptualized by Magyar metal luminary Arkhorrl, Viziok captures the raw essence of the paganism that never truly left the wilds of Europe. It also pays devout homage to black metal's earlier forebears. The songs on offer here are ripping melodic anthems chock full of respect for nature and melancholy towards its destruction. Awe-inspiring and grand, Arhorrl's work is yet another chapter in the legacy of powerful black metal in the vein of Burzum, Taake, Dissection, or Ragnarok. This last band in particular has a huge influence on the music of Aetherius Obscuritas, and Viziok buzzes with a near palpable aura of wildness and heathenism.
The title track alone confirms this, an ethereal keyboard hum getting kicked in the face by a writhing bass line and flurries of lightning struck tremolo-melodies. "Viziok" shreds through the verses as such and then unleashes confident, fist-pumping choruses, recalling both Bathory's fury and Burzum's sadness simultaneously. Named after the Magyar word for "Visions," "Viziok" is an eye-opening song indeed.
The rest of the album is equally poignant. "Mysterious Path of Desires" hurls swinging riffs at its listeners, their grim melodies drifting like dead leaves in a cold wind. A dreary keyboard undercurrent adds some mournful atmosphere to the mix as well, the song being equal parts blasting and depressive.
"Kilenc Tele a Kodnek" might have a horribly unpronounceable name, but its majestic guitars and frantic, catchy blasting more than make up for it. Be it a ferocious black metal breakdown or numbingly fast tremolo-work, this song features purist pagan fury in all its myriad black metal forms. Hell, the thunderous sing-along at song's end almost makes the album itself.
"Journey to Immortality" begins with a caustic howl and soon launches into one of the most memorable, visceral, and saddening black metal songs in recent memory. After a vicious opening, the song devolves into a stripped-bare acoustic passage replete with haunting choirs and an explosive return to more metallic frontiers. Arkhorrl sure knows the proper craftsmanship of brutal yet fragile black metal, and songs like this should particularly please Taake or Burzum fans while still sounding fresh and new.
"The Lockless Door" is no different, simultaneously dark and epic riffs weaving their way through unhinged percussion and animalistic screeches. The melodies stab like knives, giving the song a war-like feel.
"Menedekem a Sotetsegben," in contrast, debuts with a soft and Slavic guitar progressive layered over bombastic riffs. The song, a cover of Ragnarok's pagan barnstormer "My Refuge in Darkness," tears with all the slicing ferocity of the original. This is a truly vicious cover and an excellent retelling of an already battle-tested black metal anthem.
"Alom II" drifts in like a vengeful ghost, its slow and moody chords gliding in on wings of darkness. As is the band's specialty, this subdued introduction quickly ignites into memorable, skin-flaying mania, making for some great stuff to boot.
"Kovekbe Vesett Nyugalom" brims with icy melodies and dank atmospherics. Cathartic and fist-pumping, this is vitriol worthy of the original Norwegian kings themselves.
"Black Moorland" wanders in and out of coherency, its mesmerizing trudge equal parts frightening and hypnotic. Arkhorrl's already bestial yowls turn into outright shrieks here, worthy of Silencer or other bands like that. Eerie and dark, the song is like getting lost in the woods, wandering in a panic, and then being consumed by some fell beast of the night.
"Who Never Really Left" mixes frosty wind effects with a stark, minimal clean guitar progression. The end result is a lingering sense of trauma, the likes of which pierces deep in the listener. As far as quiet instrumentals go, this one is top-notch.
"Idegenul," meanwhile, blazes past listeners in a squall of sound. Its guitars are quick, limber, and squealing; it's splashing cymbals and nimble blastbeating meanwhile make for yet another stellar black metal song.
Things sadly end with "Holiszak." The same formula used earlier is still at play---namely strength-filled riffs, dexterous tempo-shifts, plenty of punked-out blastbeating, and a sense of lost grandeur found in bands like Burzum.
Viziok is like a black metal version of Walden by Thoreau; equal parts awe-inspiring and sad, this powerfully wild album is a must for fans of black metal in general and more pagan-inspired black metal in particular. Arkhorrl is an immensely talented individual for playing so many brutally catchy songs all on his own, and I'm very interested to see where this Hungarian horde goes in the future. Check it out ASAP.
Aetherius Obscuritas' Viziok
Viziok
Mysterious Path of Desires
Kilenc Tele a Kodnek
Journey to Immortality
The Lockless Door
Menedekem a Sotetsegben (Cover of Ragnarok's "My Refuge in Darkness")
Alom II
Kovekbe Vesett Nyugalom
Black Moorland
Who Never Really Left (Instrumental)
Idegenul
Holiszak
CD Info and Links
Aetherius Obscuritas - Viziok Rating:9.0
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