A six track exploration at the fringe of black metal, ‘Sentinel’ is the eerie masterpiece of ambient black metal artist Ayloss operating under the name of Spectral Lore. Based in Athens, Greece, Ayloss crafts music that is inspired by cold, desolate landscapes and the deadly beauty of nature. Aside from the music itself, two things immediately set Spectral Lore apart from the pack: the stunning artwork which dominates the album and the remarkably powerful lyrics which prove to be both complex and beautifully constructed. The music itself, meanwhile, is as grand as the ambition behind the lyrics, drawing in elements of drone acts such as Khanate and Sunn 0))) and freely mixing them with the icy black metal of pioneers such as Burzum and Darkthrone. It is not an easy ride, nor is it one to be undertaken lightly, but the effort invested in listening to this impressive work of art is more than repaid by the wonders that await deep within.
Opening on the ‘all devouring earth’, Spectral Lore revel in a furious barrage of icy riffing, indistinct shrieks and whirlwind percussion recalling the frozen fury of Burzum’s ferocious debut album. It is unsettling, powerful black metal played with skill and poise and produced to perfectly represent the epic nature of the lyrics. However, the black metal brutality, at least in the conventional sense, lasts for only a brief period before the music twists and turns, wrenching itself from your grasp and mutating into a piece of tormented shoe-gaze, the guitars scraping over the surface as wordless vocalisations echo deep in the mix. It is a stunning volte-face that recalls the grandeur of Sunn 0)))’s ‘Domkirke’ combined with the earthen sludge of Buzzov*en and the Baroque terror of Khanate. Few individuals have the courage to be this daring and that this is the work of all one person is yet more incredible, but the result is a disturbing, sinister piece of work that will set your senses on fire as the music plays upon your nerve endings. ‘The dejection of Arjuna’ compiles and re-arranges lyrics from the Bhagavad Gita (with the translation courtesy of Sri Aurobindo) and sets them to deathly black metal, complete with regal orchestration and a sense of the epic that few bands can attain. Imagine the sumptuous ambition of Behemoth coupled with the fire and fury of Burzum and you’re close to the awe-inspiring scope of Spectral Lore’s harrowing vision although once more such description only serves to constrain the smallest part of the overall story, the track as a whole an unclassifiable, epic piece of music that cannot be constrained by mere labels.
‘The coming of age’ takes a slower pace, the guitars swirling in a manner that recalls early Emperor, the blistering vocals set against music so intricate it has the depth of a classical composition. Far from technicality for the sake of it, whilst the music writhes and wriggles from your grasp, the complexity perfectly serves the grandiose lyrical themes and the result is music and lyrics that work in perfect symbiosis, each feeding off the other to create an encompassing listening experience that will leave you breathless. ‘Quest for the supramental’ by contrast is a slow, terminal trawl through the darkest depths of the imagination, the lyrics speaking of breaking the cycle of indolence and reaching out to the skies before the music suddenly erupts in molten fury, frustration and rage bubbling to the surface as the guitars mesh and intertwine around the guttural vocals. The lengthy conclusion to the song sees things collapse onced more in upon themselves, the implosion turning the music inside out and the song entering a phase that recalls the greasy horror of Khanate at their most drawn out and torturous. It is also strangely beautiful and although the feeling is hard to define, the sound is utterly compelling. ‘My ascension into the celestial spheres’ is every bit as elegant as its name suggests, the music both brutal and icy in the extreme and yet filled with a sense of the fading honour and glory of the halls of kings. Spectral Lore perfectly capture the essence of nature’s splendour – particularly on the instrumental finale ‘Atlus – A world within a world’ which draws the album to a lengthy, ambient close more reminiscent of Axis of Perdition than traditional black metal.
It takes time and effort to appreciate Spectral Lore’s music. It is music of depth and vision and it is not an easy ride to absorb in one sitting, even if you devote your attention entirely to it. The rewards, however, are great with each track offering a variation and breadth that few bands match over an entire album. Here you will find beauty, loss, hope, defiance and horror and the production, whilst admirably raw, still allows enough clarity for the instrumental ambition of Ayloss to shine through. Do not expect an easy ride, but if you are prepared to sit back, douse the lights and lose yourself to the power of ‘Sentinel’ you can expect a stunning journey into hitherto unexplored territory with the music acting as your omniscient guide. This is not simply music, this is art at its most pure and those with a taste for intelligent, passionate extreme music will treasure this wonderful release for many years to come. ‘Sentinel’ is, quite simply, an outstanding record.
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