When I was first getting into metal, the realm of atmospheric black metal was something that really called me, and that prompted an investigation. It’s been years since my first incursion into the dark realm, but it’s been a hell of a trip the entire time. Still, I come across albums that astound and please to no end, and I stumbled across one such marvel today. A Pale December is a fairly new name in the underground, and their debut album is nothing to scoff at as it shows this duo has talent and knowledge in absolute spades.

Anybody who simply frequents the black metal world on Bandcamp knows that the scene is always growing so it makes it difficult to continuously find fresh acts that deliver all the way, and while that’s a constant issue for me, today I was able to find something quite tasty. In simple words, A Pale December takes influences from some of the black metal greats of the past decade from Agalloch to Katatonia while still being fairly original in order to bring their own flavor, and it comes out terrifically well! The debut work of “The Shrine of Primal Fire” shows that A Pale December knows what the fuck they’re doing, too. This effort isn’t just these guys stumbling in the dark hoping to find the right elements randomly and then calling it a day’s work. A Pale December brings together every single aspect that makes atmospheric black metal such an enjoyable sound to begin with from subtle melodies, incredible diversity in sound, terrific musicianship, stupendous instrumentation from all kinds to bring unique flavors, and a true understanding of the genre that transcends every single note “The Shrine of Primal Fire” has to offer. Thousands upon thousands of bands do one of two things with atmospheric black metal: focus too much on the atmosphere to varying results, or focus too much on the metal to varying results. “The Shrine of Primal Fire” finds the perfect middle ground and does a marvelous job at expanding upon its own style to create a soundscape that’s not only dynamic but ever-expanding. That’s a key thing many bands of the style tend to forget, but A Pale December brings it out every single chance they get.

The discovery of great bands is something that many of us live for, and A Pale December easily fits the bill. Their debut album could’ve easily been dismissed as yet another atmospheric black metal album that isn’t anything to pay attention to, but further investigation shows that these Italians know exactly what they’re doing and that leads to “The Shrine of Primal Fire” being quite an exquisite experience.

“The Shrine of Primal Fire” releases on November 7th via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to “The Shrine of Primal Fire” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE A Pale December on Facebook here.