At this point, my interest in—no…my obsession with—black metal should be no mystery to anyone. It’s an extremely diverse subgenre that allows for a lot of opportunities to change the game and add one’s own unique twist to an established style of music. But even with that kind of exploration, there’s still a lot of mundane crap out there as well; the same recycle,d tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats come up way too frequently. So when given a new black metal project to check out, I’m always a combination of both excited…and skeptical. In 2014, we were blessed—irony? Irony.—with Saor, Panopticon, and other really interesting takes on the genre. And if the strength of Volahn‘s newest album, Aq’Ab’Al is any indicator, 2015 might not be too bad, either.

The band’s latest release (okay, using the term “band” loosely; it’s just Eduardo Ramirez) is heavy on native occult theology. Let me just say, this thing delivers on that theme immediately and keeps it known throughout the entire, hour-long listen. The backbone of this album holds firm to crisp tremolo picking, furious blast beats, and the harshest of shrieks, often accompanied by some rather nice echo effects. But just as consistently, Ramirez gives us these phenomenally-timed guitar interludes that are almost, dare I say it, Pink Floydian? With spoken lyrics layered over these breaks in the action, you really start to understand how spatially impressive this album is. The inclusion of flutes and acoustic guitar work help to provide that native personality this album aspires for. It’s similarly impressive to—but not quite at the same level as—Panopticon’s use of bluegrass throughout last year’s Roads to the North. Volahn does a great job of creating a surrounding environment with his music. It’s some kind of entrancing.

But as a result of just how much Aq’Ab’Al has going on, there are moments that sound a bit cluttered—where the bluesy riffs we’re given don’t quite work with the insane tempo these tunes throw at us. With half of the album’s six tracks clocking at over ten minutes, there were bound to be some less-impressive moments on each one. But not to worry: you’ll find yourself appreciating the experimentation enough to outweigh all that. The production is definitely raw, which is neither unwelcome nor unexpected; this is black metal after all. The guitars are crisp and vocals sorrowful and penetrating. Occasionally, we notice the bass and drums lagging a little behind in their clarity. Things don’t always quite line up, making the guitar leads somewhat awkward during some heavier sections. But with this being only Volahn’s second full-length—and first since 2008’s cassette release, Dimensiónes del Trance Kósmico—I can’t really rag on them too much for any of the above.

Overall, I’m rather impressed. There’s a lot of potential here. Ramirez seems to have created—or is attempting to create—a bit of a niche in the cluttered world of black metal we’re all familiar with. I would believe, and I hope, this album will help him to further distinguish Volahn from the rest of the noise. There are plenty of kinks to work out, but the focus with Aq’Ab’Al should definitely be on its positives. Volahn has clearly added his own flavor to the black metal universe, and that’s not a bad place to start.  

“Ein Bier… bitte.”

– Corey

Aq’Ab’Al is available now on Crepusculo Negro. For more information on Volahn, visit Volahn’s Facebook page.

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.