As a band, what do you do, and where do you go, after your earlier monumental achievements? In the case of Autarkh, how do you one-up your opening salvos of excellence, the unconventional mechanized fury of Form in Motion, which landed on my best of 2021 list, and its masterful reimagining by Autarkh III on Roadburn Redux 2021, my album of the year in 2022? Naturally, by releasing Emergent, an album that surpasses all my lofty expectations and the limits of my vocabulary with its creative abandon, boundless passion and expressive vigor. 

Emergent continues charting the ever-expanding, interconnected sonic universe that was created on Form in Motion and initially explored on Roadburn Redux 2021. In terms of musical intertextuality and revisionism, Emergent taps into and builds on the two aforementioned releases and also reaches all the way back to Michel Nienhuis’s pre-Autarkh band Dodecahedron’s final album Kwintessens (those well versed in the Autarkh lore and lineage will recall that Form in Motion was informed by ideas and elements meant for a future Dodecahedron album), by reinterpreting and repurposing many of their harrowing motifs, mesmerizing melodies, dynamic textures and memorable riffs. Such linkages abound, in the way Emergent’s very beginning recalls Form in Motion’s closing track “Zeit ist nur eine Illusion”; the way “Strife” revisits a warm and dreamy guitar melody from Roadburn Redux III and reshapes it into an icy and aggressive lead melody; or in the astonishing manner the magnificent closing track “Ka” reinterprets Kwintessen’s “Dodecahedron – An Ill-defined Air of Otherness.” This approach makes Emergent, and Autarkh’s entire discography, a listening experience that is intellectually, philosophically and musically rewarding in a unique way. 

And what a musical revelation Emergent is! The blossoming melancholic yet hopeful beauty of “Open Focus,” a song with such impact that it left me staring at the opposite wall upon first hearing it, glides gracefully over Tijnn Verbruggen’s commanding beats, Desmond Kujik’s billowing bass lines and the impassioned vocal harmonies between Michel Nienhuis and David Luiten. The song transcends into a state of marvel that promises immensely rich musical horizons, which materialize with aplomb across the album. As an opening track, it alters and resets the stylistic expectations created by the trio of pounding singles released ahead of the full album (“Strife,” “Refocus,” “Duhkha”), testament to the myriad surprises and creative curveballs Emergent provides. The breakneck intensity and nailbomb impact of “Trek” most vividly recalls the chaotic maelstrom of Form in Motion, before taking a sharp unexpected turn to ethereal territories. Such extreme juxtaposition should feel jarring, but in Autarkh’s hands it all clicks and results in something that retains a breathtaking emotional intensity even during its most delicate moments of elegance that cohere seamlessly with the passages of white-knuckle ferocity. There are brief moments on “Eye of Horus” that suddenly remind me of Disco Volante-era Mr. Bungle, followed by an undulating middle part that allows Desmond’s bass to shine. The use of vocoder on “Eye of Horus” and the snarling whispers utilized on “Countless Kaleidoscopes” are just a handful of examples of the album’s supercharged emphasis on vocals. In particular the rich and active interplay between Michel and David’s vocals warrant special praise across the album. 

Like those rare releases with considerable potential for becoming future classics, Emergent immediately sinks its talons into your flesh and cerebral cortex, keeps clawing deeper upon repeat listens and ultimately embeds itself into your heart of hearts. In recognition of the album’s instant hooks, it is nigh-impossible to pick and choose a standout track, as it quickly becomes evident how each song has its distinct identity but also constitutes an essential step in the journey and part of the beautifully cohesive whole, owing to Autarkh’s sterling songwriting skills and grand vision. Kudos goes to David’s impeccable mixing and mastering (benefiting also from former Autarkh member Joris Bonis’s contributions) that achieves a perfect combination of warmth, punch and clarity even amid most hectic and busiest moments, while maintaining commendable levels of dynamic range even during massive walls of sound and crushing density, when where someone else would have fallen for the temptation to go for an extremely brickwalled production for the sake of loudness. 

There really are no other bands like Autarkh. With Emergent, Autarkh enter the pantheon of envelope-pushing bands that are true torchbearers and trailblazers for the future of metal. This is a band that has the alchemical power to transmute metal and its essential elements into something vital, effervescent and everflowing. In essence, Emergent is an absolute triumph. And what makes this album especially exciting is that Autarkh is still at an early point in their career, armed with boundless creativity which promises an unusually bright future for them. Albums like Emergent remind us that the future is already here, and that existence can indeed be pure joy, just like the band announces at the conclusion of the album. Truly essential listening and my album of the year.

— Zyklonius

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Emergent is available now on Season of Mist. For more information on Autarkh, visit their Facebook page.