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Amenspear’s second full-length feels like the kind of album somebody makes when they’re bored of coloring inside the genre lines but not interested in abandoning the whole black-metal skeleton either. You can hear the NY basement-project DNA in it, some riffs feel like they were written at three in the morning with cheap coffee and a headache, but then out of nowhere he’ll pull in these alt-rock-ish melodies or proggy detours that don’t sound forced so much as “yeah, why not?” It’s still black metal at the core, just with a bunch of weird branches sticking out.
Compared to Vaera, which felt more focused and a little more sure of itself, this one’s sprawlier. Not necessarily a bad thing. More like the sound of someone trying on different jackets and not worrying if the sleeves fit yet. Some of the moodier, doomy parts really land, and a few moments feel surprisingly honest in a genre that usually hides behind blast beats. Other parts drift a bit, like he’s got five ideas fighting for the same room and nobody wanted to break up the argument, but the ambition keeps it interesting even when it gets a little tangled.
It’s an album with personality, just not a fully settled one. You can tell he’s aiming for something bigger down the line, and this feels like an early chapter of getting there. A solid, sometimes odd, sometimes striking step forward... A good listen if you’re into black metal that wanders instead of marches.
https://www.instagram.com/amenspearband
Thanks to Grand Sounds PR.