We’re coming in on the home stretch of 2024 and naturally the year wouldn’t be complete without a release from Ayloss, continually one of the best and most prolific musicians in the greater RABM scene. Just over a year from his last release under this moniker, Auriferous Flame has returned with The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers — a relatively brief, but no less furious slab of thrashy black metal that expands the project’s sound in small ways and subverts the traditional hero of fantasy stories in line with a more collective idea on overcoming injustice.

For the uninitiated, Greek musician Ayloss helms a number of solo projects; most notably the atmospheric black metal project Spectral Lore and my personal favorite, the medieval black metal act Mystras. Beginning with last year’s fantastic sophomore release An Ardor for Black Mastery Auriferous Flame began to take on a more defined identity, paying homage to the black metal of old with devastating riffs and a middle finger to authority — the latter being in the manner of Ayloss’ outspoken anti-fascist and anarchist views, of course.

At only 30 minutes The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers is the shortest Ayloss release I’ve ever listened to, but no less powerful. Consisting of just three tracks, the highlight is no doubt opener “The Insurrectionists,” a near 16-minute saga that takes the listener through everything that makes Auriferous Flame so great — thrashy palm muted chugs, dynamic bass work, and leads that demonstrate that while this is on the more traditional side of black metal, Ayloss is no stranger to dancing across the entire fretboard throughout a song. The middle of the song devolves into a slower, heavily dissonant section that’s quite a surprise to hear from a musician more often dedicated to darker atmospheres and lilting melodies.

“The Insurrectionists” and “An Oration to the Storm” are mostly in line with the work on Black Mastery, but that’s by no means a bad thing. Riff after riff, they continue to prove just why Ayloss is one of the best songwriters in black metal right now; as linear and constantly changing as these tracks are, they never come across in a weedly, overly technical “how many riffs can I throw at you in the shortest amount of time possible” kind of way. Each new twist in a track serves a greater purpose: one of triumphant riffs serving the greater cause of justice.

I think where The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers really hits the hardest though, is in the themes contained within. “The Insurrectionists” details not your typical hero who singularly defeats the great evil, but by one who gathers a greater collective to spread revolution throughout the land, encountering trials and tribulations until a terrible moment in which she must choose the greater good over not just her compatriots, but even herself; I was reminded of one incredible monologue (among many) in Andor — a show absolutely undeserving of release by The Mouse™ — and in particular the line “I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.” Will we in the here and now be willing to sacrifice and fight for a better future even if we won’t directly benefit from it? “The Caretakers” talks about those who weren’t necessarily willing, but instead grew old idolizing long-gone insurrectionists and a revolutionary past less golden than we remember… all things to keep in mind as we face both climate apocalypse and the rising tide of fascism (in many ways less obvious than one).

Continually carrying the bright and righteous torch of anti-fascist black metal into a dark, uncertain future, we are truly lucky to be living in a time in which Ayloss is releasing so much great music (with more perhaps coming sooner than you might think). As if last year’s release didn’t already, The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers proves that Auriferous Flame is truly deserving of a spot amongst Spectral Lore and Mystras as a banner act in that of one of black metal’s best and most dynamic musicians.

— Colin

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The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers will be available November 8 through True Cult Records and Stellar Auditorium Productions. For more information on Auriferous Flame, check out their Facebook page.