Sooner or later, artistic expression leads to something unique. We could search for years and never come across something that really goes against the grain to do its own thing and have that thing be such an artistic accomplishment that we have no choice but to stop, gazing upon the sheer magnitude of the creation that we find ourselves before. In metal, there’s no telling what form that will come in. Oftentimes it’s in something that challenges what extreme metal can be whether it’s something like Blut aus Nord or Portal (just to name two), but what about those that challenge what metal itself can be?

Neptunian Maximalism is a name that should not be a surprise to many who have been paying even the slightest bit of attention to what the outskirts of metal has been up to in recent years. Every move that this band has made in recent years has been met to immense acclaim, and rightfully so. Taking more than a few cues from the realms of jazz, drone, ambient, psychedelia, doom, and beyond to make for a truly unconventional blend that meets with metal quite often, Neptunian Maximalism has been making moves and taking names with terrific efficiency. Never once do they sacrifice their artistic vision in the process. The embodiment of what it means to carve out your own path and become a truly different entity in your own right, already Neptunian Maximalism sets itself apart from the entirety of the competition. It’s in this new opus that we see the continuation of such a magnificent journey.

Much like its predecessors, “Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” is an exceedingly dense creation. Never once taking a single corporeal form such that every minute feels like a different experience than the last, these eleven tracks take great inspiration from classical Indian works that take on an almost completely new form thanks to the careful craftsmanship and execution that Neptunian Maximalism has all but become known for. Winding through dark halls, allowing  for the deepest meditations, off-putting in its highly seductive nature, and always beckoning you ever further to undertake a journey that never has a true end, it’s the vastness of “Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” that astonishes the most. There is no hardline conclusion, no endpoint for us to reflect on and feel a deep satisfaction in; there is only forward. Even after the two-hour long expanse comes to a close, the lingering atmospheres and immeasurably dense songwriting that Neptunian Maximalism has long mastered are left ringing in your consciousness.

Nirvana cannot always be achieved so easily with the whole of “Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” asking the listener to travel through depths and across realms that only Neptunian Maximalism has laid eyes upon. To take such a venture fueled by psychedelic rituals is to challenge yourself to see what music can be when meticulously crafted on every possible level. Neptunian Maximalism has more than earned its reputation as a cosmic force not to be reckoned with lest their trances and chants turn on you, yet it is with all that was summoned for “Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” that this collective transcends even further to become an entity whose power, enigmatic nature, and overwhelming presence is to be worshipped. Time has only allowed this act to grow in power with this grand work yet another testament to the extraordinary machinations at play here.

“Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” releases on April 11th via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Le Sacre Du Soleil Invaincu” on Bandcamp here.

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