Black metal, that most wretched of music, particularly the sort that escapes from the icy wastelands of Northern Europe, although here we are situated in the rather warmer climes of Denmark rather the frostbitten hellridden Norwegian sort. Still, that doesn’t stop Afsky from chilling your very soul.
From the off, after a rather unusually non-black metal start which we won’t ruin here, you can feel that icy wind blasting through your soul. Taking a more melodic route with the razor blade guitars, this is more Deafheaven than Mayhem although it’s not long before the synths draw you into a familiar symphonic black metal.
Afsky revel in the sorrowness of life and that cuts through in this album, but what you might not expect is how emotionally taut it is. The music is layered in ways which tug on your emotions so that within the maelstrom there is a real human element. It’s an unusually impactful sound which allows the listener to empathise, even if they are unsure as to what this actually means to them. It’s a symbiotic emotional warmth between band and listener.
Of course, the expected rage is here and the album serves well to be listened in one sitting. Tracks merge into one another (which given their Danish titles and lyrics is just as well for listeners elsewhere), and this only serves to separate you from your everyday life into this frozen wasteland of sorrow. It’s almost gleeful, given the subject matter.
Thunderous and wrought with emotion, Fælleskab is an album of real intent. Its bleak production echoes the traditional black metal sound, whilst its flourishes of synths elevates it to a cinematic symphony. It proves that black metal is still a vital force in metal, and is one of the better releases this year.
