The idea of acoustic black metal is certainly a unique one to me that I’ve never heard of before, but it’s something that can be quite a difficult thing to not only explain but also execute. Calling it acoustic would be a bit of a lie but simply labeling it atmospheric wouldn’t be enough. But, that didn’t stop the guy behind Leviathan from revisiting an old project of his to deliver us something the likes of which I’ve never heard before, and would love to hear more of.

I’ve never really listened to Leviathan just out of sheer happenstance, but I have great respect for the following and name that the act has gotten for itself, so I figured that another black metal act from the same guy would have some pretty good merit to it. But even only calling this work from Lurker of Chalice black metal would be a huge disservice to what we actually get throughout the mysterious labyrinth that is “Tellurian Slaked Furnace”. There is very little actual metal that goes on within the confines of this album, and Lurker of Chalice knows exactly how to capitalize on every moment where it actually comes around in those rare moments. As for the greater vast majority of “Tellurian Slaked Furnace”, it’s an extremely thick atmosphere filled with either insatiable dark ambient or a haunting acoustic guitar that’s way more common than the black metal which is why I dared to call this acoustic black metal at first, but Lurker of Chalice is so much more. This album morphs at the drop of a hat into something completely different from one track to the next as we can easily shift from some acoustic atmospheres to a quick burst of hypnotic black metal to an immensely psychedelic use of dark ambient to create this unique experience that really makes “Tellurian Slaked Furnace” an entity of its own kind, and I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be far more than keen to hear so much more!

This is such a harrowing but mystifying listen that it’s all but impossible for me to not sit in amazement as Lurker of Chalice delivers something I never could’ve expected, and if this band is one that we’re to be hearing more often then I can’t wait to see what else the act can bring to the table! “Tellurian Slaked Furnace” is definitely like nothing else I’ve ever heard before, and while it’s already a great tour de force of whatever the fuck it is, I can easily see this being improved upon tenfold if the reputation of its mastermind is true by even a fraction.

“Tellurian Slaked Furnace” releases on March 1st via Nuclear War Now! Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Tellurian Slaked Furnace” on Bandcamp here.