Eldamar “Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation”

Norway’s Eldamar is a one-man project that takes the elements of ambient black metal and amplify the emotional weight of his music by building off the genre with heavy reliance on atmosphere, as well as the production. With the band’s third album, Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation, the band pushes their sound to an ever further level from the band’s second album A Dark Forgotten Past. Moments of tranquility and peacefulness are all over the record, while the harrowing and wallowing wails of the vocals add dark undertones and sadness add to the beauty of the music.

The album opens with “Akt I; First Sight of A New Realm…”. Opening with a beautiful, clean, ambient guitar drenched in chorus and reverb. Then the guttural, agonizing screams of Mathias Hemmingby are then joined by a keyboard section. Adding a heavily atmospheric tone to the track. With drums strikes becoming interspersed with the keyboard and ringing guitars. Adding elements of dungeon synth and electronic music in the keyboard effects, the song really does channel that ethereal soundscape. Creating an almost cinematic score-like tone to the track, especially with the pacing. Hemmingby's rising and fading screams in the mix really add to the song, channeling the burgeoning post-black metal sound of acts like So Hideous and Alcest. I love the nice, emotional sounding guitar solo at the halfway mark of this ten-plus minute epic. The song seems to match the song’s title in its feeling of discovery and understanding. Giving off a feeling of finding one’s self, while also trying to figure out how to navigate through the unknown. “Akt I; …with Forces Good and Evil” continues the dreamscape feeling with an almost forlorn opening guitar piece. Giving off a vibe of loss and longing in the playing. The rising strings of guitars add bits of hope, leading into the pounding drum hits around the three and a half minute mark. Hemmingby's wailing screams and electric guitar add to the barrage of shouts and distortion as the song builds in climax. The next track is “Akt II; We Dwell…”. With piano ringing in the background, beneath intricate guitar playing and effects. With gritty, drone-like distortion coming in around the two minute mark, the song adds a dark undertone amongst the ringing piano and ending with distortion feedback as the song begins to fade out. Before clean guitar rises from the depths of the closing moments to conclude the track on a tranquil but unknown-esque ending in the delivery.

“Akt II; …toghether…” has an almost folk-like opening. With a sound similar to a hybrid of an acoustic guitar and a banjo. Rising strings and ambience behind it is joined by the addition of a clean electric guitar. Adding depth in the mix and filling the space as well. Giving off a visual of two people playing together, before wailing screams, aggressive kick drums, and ringing distortion comes in like a ton of bricks. With drums and screams becoming more prevalent on the track, with the underlying opening guitar section emerging throughout the chaos of the unhinged moments, and closing out the track. On “Akt II; …with the ghost of…”, the song opens with a somber piano piece and strings as the piano begins to rise slowly in the mix. Thunder adds depth and the feeling of regret and longing. As the short track builds so much and tells a audio journey of emotions in such a short amount of time. The album’s closing track is “Akt II; …an Eternal Sorrow”. With ringing church bells, crow calls, and ominous footsteps, the song truly creates audio theater in where is the song going with its direction. The addition of a pipe-organ creates an ominous and eerie church aesthetic to the piece as the bells ring in the ether of the mix. Around the two minute mark, we see the darkness and unholy yells of Hemmingby rise along with the more aggressive drumming and almost chugging riff. His wails anguish in the mix, adding an unholy cry for help in the delivery. Fitting the song’s title of creating an eternal sorrow. The return of piano creates a reprieve from the intensity and emotional journey of the song. Picturing a cloaked figure playing the song amongst the rain and wind outside the church’s window as they are dimly lit by candlelight. Before they stand up and return to the distorted guitars and cry to the sky screaming with the drumming. The song is a dramatic and epic closing piece that entrances the listener to the journey that Hemmingby wants you to follow him on in this closing piece.

With Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation, Eldamar created a cinematic soundscape that brings the light of the heavens into the darkness and downtrodden elements of post-black metal. Really embellishing the elements of ambient black metal to a huge, grand extent in the delivery of the album. Many might think some moments might drag on a bit too long or may seem repetitive in nature, but that is what this type of black metal does. It creates an otherworldly space of unknown. Diving into emotions through soundscapes and atmosphere. Eldamar did deliver a really good ambient black metal record that truly captures the genre’s motif. A good record to check out if you are a fan of acts like Summoning and Lustre.

SCORE: 4 / 5

You can get the album on the band’s Bandcamp page HERE or you can check it out on the band’s Spotify page HERE.