You know those albums that you saw spread like wildfire months ago that you remembered wanting to check out but just never did? This is one of those for me. I remember people going nuts over this release and I was very intrigued to see what all the fuss was about, but I just never got around to it until tonight. So, I sat down expecting some atmospheric black metal of at least good variety. What I was met with was a grand display that left me wondering why the fuck I didn’t investigate this piece sooner.

This is far from anything that I’d expect from any sort of debut act much less from this style. More often than not, it feels like this style tends to be lacking in the post-production area so that the material keeps a raw feel that can just as easily enhance a record as it can hurt. With “Aura Aeternitatis”, there isn’t a single fucking thing about these five tracks that didn’t execute with godly talent! Every single aspect about this record exceeds every single expectation I had going into it from the skill, competency, quality, atmosphere, melody, songwriting, musicianship and excellence all with which Vástígr boasts without once letting it go to their heads as every song here could be considered a marvel without even thinking about it. With even the slightest folk influence to spice things up a bit, “Aura Aeternitatis” is beyond everything that an album of this style should be and so much more as the whole record just keeps marching forward without one bit of hesitation to make the record truly a force to behold and reckon in every form. It’s clear to me that this album very much deserved its reputation and the renown it quickly garnered upon its initial release, and one can only fathom what a follow-up of any sort would sound like from Vástígr. More than likely, it’ll be something phenomenal.

Releases like these come around only a few times in any given year, and I have no doubt whatsoever that this is one of those special releases that has risen the bar for good atmospheric black metal by at least a little with everything that Vástígr has done beautifully here. Every single ounce of “Aura Aeternitatis” is nothing to scoff at even in the slightest, and the wait for me is simply excrutiating!

LISTEN to “Aura Aeternitatis” on Bandcamp here.

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