The cosmic realm of black metal can be one that’s all but tantalizing, but often it can be understandably overwhelming with how much talent there is to go around for the genre as a whole. Yet, people like people absolutely adore diving into whatever the genre has in store in its infinite underground to see what gems we can find. But sometimes the gems find you, and that recently happened to me as YouTube itself brought to my attention the debut album from Exterior Palnet whose take on the sound can only be described as immensely tasteful.
Croatia isn’t exactly a hotspot for black metal (or any type of metal at all for that matter), but if there’s anything I learned whilst discovering new acts is that sometimes the best can be found in the most random of places. Now, I’m not calling Exterior Palnet the best of anything or their debut the best thing I’ve heard for a while but I’ll be struck by fucking lightning if “Dorsia” isn’t a noteworthy album to a high degree. From the very start, “Dorsia” busts in with an unnerving atmosphere that carries all the way to the very end of its annals with Exterior Palnet showing they can not only pull off sporadic black metal with plenty of finesse, but they can also nail a decent atmosphere that helps carry “Dorsia”. While the vocals can be tweaked just a tad, there’s not much within this seven-track album that I can call unsatisfying as this cosmic epic unfolds before us mere mortals in glorious fashion. Exterior Palnet shows with their debut that they’re not fucking around one bit as this album is a brilliant display of true understanding of atmospheric black metal, how to make it fucking work, how to make it engaging so it doesn’t get dull, and execute it in such a fashion that makes it utterly delicious to behold. And if that’s not enough, the whole of “Dorsia” is essentially a 32-minute epic song chopped into seven different pieces to make for an easier listening experience, but that doesn’t make it any less fucking epic.
Space has always been a terrific place for quality black metal to call its own with acts such as Mesarthim calling it home, and that trend is only continuing with the terrific efforts of talents like Exterior Palnet. “Dorsia” shows these Croatians can pull off something that listeners can really sink their teeth into time and again without getting bored, and that’s a treat that keeps on fucking giving all the way.
LISTEN to “Dorsia” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Exterior Palnet on Facebook here.
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