There have been many times that I’ve sat down to listen to a record and expected to hear a certain sound either because I was told so or merely gut feeling. When I delved into the latest album of Swan Messiah, I was expecting some atmospheric black metal that may or may not have been anything special. The word “special” is a tad bland to describe this record as while there’s that central core of atmospheric black metal, it’s with these five tracks that Swan Messiah has crafted with extreme care and talent that we’ve gotten so much more.

The amount of time that I’ve seen an act try to take many different sounds and blend them into one homogenous style is getting quite high as we’ve seen loads of influential acts like YOB, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Neurosis inspiring new generations to ridiculous levels. Just the first track alone in all of its near 19 minutes of splendor showcases just what a ride we’re in for with “Call of the Burning One” as Swan Messiah takes a dense core of atmospheric black metal and brings in several rings from the outer reaches with the likes of drone, doom, and ambient to wave together an experience that’s aural beauty as much as it is malicious. Should you be brave enough to dive into this record where all but one track stretch well over ten minutes, the reward is nothing short of an exquisite listen that’s teeming with brilliance and intoxicating talent as Swan Messiah doesn’t drop the ball for even a moment. There’s so much happening within the confines of “Call of the Burning One” is nothing short of encapturing with the balance being absolutely immaculate to a delicious degree to the point where even after soaking myself in the bath of stars that’s created with this record, it’s still nothing short of spectacular and far from waning any time soon.

To create something that has such a wide swathe of sound across such an ambitious space is a very high-risk high reward scenario that a stumble can snowball into your immediate downfall. Needless to say, such a thing doesn’t occur in the slightest with Swan Messiah here. Not a single moment of “Call of the Burning One” is left without grandeur, and it’s that constant excellence that permeates every second of this oddity of a record.

LISTEN to “Call of the Burning One” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Swan Messiah on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Swan Messiah on Twitter: @swanmessiah