Dense and divine, Become Ethereal by Sundrowned is a debut that just screams to be heard. Actually, a hodgepodge of Post-Black Metal goodness from Norway, Become Ethereal is less an album that needs to be heard and more an experience that needs to be felt from start to finish.
Beginning with the towering “Babel”, Sundrowned start their debut with the best kind of heady heavy which drifts in from an ethereal state and then furiously clashes like the best bits of Isis duking it out with more modern metallers like Irist. Getting further into the debut, Sundrowned lay out these wicked complexities within each sonic landscape created to almost come across like Space Rawk Indie underdogs Codeseven tackling Black Metal. Which is the case with “A Scent Of Glimmer” and “Ethereal” which drop next. The former is led by a hearty growl that’s Phil Anselmo or Kirk Windstein at their best and most gnarliest while the latter is majestic yet monstrous.
“La Tristesse” sways like a monolithic monument ominously hovering unchecked after years of erosion over an unsuspecting city or town, ready to topple at any moment and filled with atmospheric guitars and rumbling percussion. If you’re looking for levity in all this then I’m afraid the only reprieve your earholes will receive here beyond the moments between tracks is “The Eternal” which shines from the delicate guest vocals acting as a vast counterpoint to what normally lurks in the throat department.
“Ruins” has this hefty bounce to it with the way the bass and drums play off each other while “Monarch” is kind of Post-Metal at its’ absolute best and the kind of track that causes uncontrollable body swaying with the mood the music conveys. Finally, “O Dom Da Fé” closes out this mighty debut with a sprawling exhibition of spirit that extensively emotes somber yet hopeful tones to leave fans yearning for what’s to come on future releases.
Become Ethereal arrives on June 18th through Fysisk Format. Pre-order yours now in a variety of formats by heading here. For more on Sundrowned, follow them across their socials when you click here, here, or here.