I think it’s safe to say that it would be a vicious understatement to claim that the world of atmospheric black metal has long been intertwined with the many different spirits of nature and all that they have to offer. It’s something that can easily feel overdone and sometimes uninspired in the wrong hands, but when we’re met with real talent and a laser-focus that manages to really tap into that overflowing well of potential, it’s a combination that’s as rewarding as it is obvious at times. We’re fortunate enough to live in a time where we’re still quite inundated by names that manage to not just understand the concept but embody it all for what such a concoction can be. All throughout their third opus, Eskapism does all of that to wondrously dramatic effect.

There are many different ways to approach being “atmospheric” given how loose such a descriptor can be in even the strictest of definitions, and it’s in the hands of the imaginative that such a simple way can make for a fascinating world of difference where entirely different laws apply and the soul of the creation itself shifts in response. Atmosphere can be a mild enhancer or a real game changer. When we’re dealing with a band like Eskapism, the latter comes into play with the sheer power of a new creation from such sprawling talent something that does nothing but justice in this corner of the underground. For all that they’ve delivered within the four spellbinding tracks of “Skresnava”, Eskapism adds to its tremendous run to earn them the right to be considered one of the finest acts of their kind that are active right this very second. There isn’t so much as a minute of this record that isn’t filled with some sort of special magic that really knows how to give “Skresnava” life and energy of that’s of an intoxicating sort. At times melodic yet never once incapable of delivering an undeniable intensity that really knows how to grab you by the throat, any one of these four tracks is absolutely more than enough to transport you to another realm where magic is truly in the air and an ancient world breathes freely in defiance of industrial progress.

What Eskapism has crafted here should not be minimized: atmospheric black metal of an enchanting sort that has so much vivacity, diversity, and style that one cannot help but become lost in the starlit woods where “Skresnava” is able to be all that it can be in a simply gorgeous form. Eskapism has been on the rise for years now. In every respect, what’s delivered in this massive effort should be hailed as one of the finest works of atmospheric black metal that 2025 has received amongst stiff competition with the lasting impact of Eskapism’s power is something that’s sure to resound proudly for a long time to come.

LISTEN to “Skresnava” on Bandcamp here.

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