Tolkien and black metal have existed hand in hand since the early days of the genre. First as band names and pseudonyms (Gorgoroth, Isengard, Shagrath) yet gradually encompassing the entire theme (and even a sub-genre) with Summoning and its “epic black metal” descendants that rarely stray from the paths of Middle-Earth. Another band attempting a go at a Tolkien-themed metal album may not always be cause for much excitement beyond “hey, more Tolkien metal!”, but few bands have decided to create something this ambitious. After a seventeen year slumber since their debut, Connecticut duo Anfauglir have returned with Akallabêth, a symphonic black metal album just as epic and grand as it’s subject material: the rise and fall of Númenor, the island kingdom that was the greatest civilization of Men ever seen in Tolkien’s legendarium.

It seems no band stays inactive forever (Caladan Brood take note!), and it’s pretty impressive that Anfauglir has made such a grand return since officially becoming inactive all the way back in 2010. Their debut Hymns Over Anfauglith is a symphonic black metal album that clearly took more than a few leaves out of the books of Emperor and Limbonic Art, albeit in a much more chaotic fashion that makes it hard to determine whether it’s a jumbled mess or a secret masterpiece. Their return in Akallabêth (“The Downfallen” in the language of the Númenóreans) is a tremendous upgrade by comparison, trading in the lo-fi synths and messy programmed drums for fully fleshed out orchestral compositions, with the metal elements almost taking a backseat to the grand symphony. Akallabêth might be billed as a symphonic black metal album but make no mistake, this is more of a modern classical album with black metal characteristics. There are harsh vocals and blast beats galore that still keep a firm foot within the metal realm, but it’s the symphonic elements that steal the show.

For the uninitiated, Akallabêth is the fourth part of J. R. R. Tolkien’s posthumously-published, millennia-spanning The Silmarillion. This section details the gifting of the island kingdom Númenor to the Men who had aided the Elves in their war against Morgoth (the actual big baddie of Tolkien’s tales) and its downfall at the hands of his chief lieutenant Sauron, who corrupted the minds of the Númenórean king Ar-Pharazôn and his followers against the godlike Valar who had gifted the island to them in the first place. Angered by their mortality (the “Doom of Men”), Ar-Pharazôn led a great host against the Valar and Elves seeking the eternal life which was denied them. In response Illuvatar (God) destroyed their armies and cast Númenor to the depths of the sea, with only the The Faithful (those loyal to the Elves and Valar) surviving and settling in Middle-Earth. Their number included Elendil and Isildur, the forebears of one Aragorn from a little story called The Lord of the Rings.

Anfauglir’s Akallabêth recounts this tale across four extended tracks that play out in an entirely linear fashion, feeling more like four movements in a greater suite than anything else. There are recurring motifs throughout such as the grand melodies of “The Rise of Númenor” that even hint at the tragic downfall of the great kingdom with a touch of dischord, but compositionally this album ebbs and flows like the waves of the Great Sea. From high peaks of furious blast beats, epic horns and choral vocals to softer moments of harp or piano, Anfauglir truly feel like storytellers here in how these disparate sections are connected. There are distorted guitars present throughout but more often than not they are buried deep within the rest of the symphony, serving more as a rhythmic component than anything else… perhaps making this the final form of what began with the relatively simplistic dungeon synth of Summoning’s Minas Morgul and the like. As orchestra focused as Akallabêth is, the string and horn arrangements still feel like they come from a place of black metal; it’s not hard to imagine an alternate version of this album where they’ve been replaced with multilayered, trem-picked guitars.

Taking on the dual challenge of returning after an extended hiatus and adapting such epic material as Tolkien’s Silmarillion, Anfauglir manage to pass with flying colors on Akallabêth. Taking the base of metal instrumentation and adding a bombastic dose of orchestration that nearly overpowers all else, without drowning it in the depths as Númenor was, is no easy feat. Yet from start to finish Anfauglir have put to music a grand tale of beauty and hubris that is more than worthy of Tolkien’s timeless tales, and deserving of a place alongside Nightfall in Middle-Earth and the works of Summoning in the Tolkien metal legendarium.

— Colin

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Akallabêth will be available June 27 through Debemur Morti Productions. For more information on Anfauglir, check out their Instagram page.