If you haven’t guessed already, I’m very big on setting the tone for my reviews with a particular “hook” or thematic thread that calls into consideration the feel, vibe and nuanced resonance that the album and band itself in question for review has for me.
Today’s review is no different, and what I loved immediately about Angest was the fact that they are an international outfit; hailing from four different countries, all with a rich and diverse Black Metal scene (Austria, Belgium, Canada and France)
An international outfit, to me, is something very special indeed, because I believe their output is an exceptional showcase of the different culture and approach for Black Metal and Extreme Metal in general, and as such, My album collection features a variety of international Black Metal artists, with this one proudly amongst them.
This is their only release so far; a debut full-length album with five tracks, which, at the outset, sees Angest straddle a fierce and darkened strain of aggressive and atmospheric Black Metal, with touches of melody and gloom pervading throughout, though never straying from the intention of the album’s title, that feeling of perpetual anguish.
Tracks like ‘It Crumbles, It Falls’, ‘Thick, Black Tar’ and ‘The Walls Collide’ assault you with a sense of dread, a wall of impenetrable sound and foreboding that feels as suffocating as the fear-inducing cover artwork.
It’s hard for me not to recall and be reminded of other stellar international Black Metal bands such as Doedsvangr, Taubra and Morar, with their own distinctive sound reinforcing how brilliant their respective scenes are.
While the duration of the album isn’t very long (clocking in at around 36 minutes) it’s not a demanding listen but a worthwhile one; an album of bleak and harrowing Black Metal from four different parts of the world coming together that this reviewer enjoyed thoroughly.
