The Path of Ayin

There is not much that has not been said about Finnish black metal, so I am not going to try to add anything essentially new. When done in the right way there is still a lot of enjoyment to get out of this style, and so many fans of the genre do no get tired hunting for more stuff. 359 are one of the probably lesser known acts, although the mastermind behind the music has also been active in a few other projects. When listening to the EP “The Path of Ayin” it becomes clearly evident that Sunken has been a follower of the local sound, taking some of the best ingredients to create his own interpretation. While less than 20 minutes long there is enough meat to pick from the bones, offering a short yet satisfying ride for purists.

This album alternates between the mid-range and upper range of the guitar, with the drums providing a more or less permanent blasting in the background. The cascades of cymbals and rolling drums are broken up in a few groovier mid-tempo sections, making up for some nice variation. The icy riffs and punchy drums make up for a hellish combination. While the overall character is grim and frosty there is no shortage of great and captivating lead harmonies, permanently dwelling in the background as counterpart to the fierce and harsh chords and blast attacks. While very misanthropic as usual for this style, the three songs here are surprisingly melodic at their core.

So what else do you need to know? The vocals are as sinister as it gets, with additional effects put on top to make them sound even more otherworldly and cavernous. You really get the feeling of an ancient demon which has been summoned to do the job. One thing that is fantastic as well is the production. The sound is raw and pure, without sacrificing a certain level of clarity and dynamism to make the instruments being noticeable beneath the cold and somehow distant nature of the mix. The drums are probably programmed, but who cares as long as the end result is good.

The cover artwork of “The Path of Ayin” is simple yet fitting, so the purchase of the CD version is a good idea for collectors. Like always Schattenkult have done a good job here. In the end you should ask yourself the question what you are looking for. Something totally new and innovative that we have never seen before? Then trot off. Otherwise give this project a listen and get ready for a short yet convincing slab of classic Finnish black metal.

I’m really glad that to have a chance to check most of the recent Schattenkult Produktionen releases, because this way I managed to find some really good bands that I never heard about before. 359 is yet another cool discovery from this label’s roster. This project hails from Finland and is led by Sunken, who is (or maybe was?) also involved in couple of other unknown bands. As 359 he did one demo in 2008 and now he presents us “The Path of Ayin” EP, with three tracks of traditional, cold sounding harsh black metal.

And this short description should say everything about 359’s sound and style. Because you should not anticipate anything new or extraordinary from this obscure project, rather that classic take on Scandinavian second wave black metal. “The Path of Ayin” is comparable to Darkthrone, Urgehal, Gorgoroth, Beastcraft, Koldbrann, Pest (Sweden), Craft, Horna, Sargeist and so on and on… You know what sort of black metal I mean. Whether 359 is worth of your attention or not, I’ll leave this for you to decide. “The Path of Ayin” is nothing special, it’s not something what will interest many… but if you worship that style of music, then I am sure you will like 359 a lot. I do think it’s typical, but solid and good enough effort, I like the harshness and hateful, cold aura of the music from “The Path of Ayin”. And I especially liked the track called “Radiate Your Hopelessness”, with its ferocious, fast playing, great riffs and killer vocals. It’s definitely the best song here. But the other two are not bad at all also.

And that’s it, I don’t have anything more to write about it. Three songs and twenty minutes of pure black metal, grab it if you like this kind of stuff.

Standout track: “Radiate Your Hopelessness”
Final rate: 65/100

The Path of Ayin is the Kabbalistic path known for accessing the visionary eye of the soul and for expressing ones primal, animalistic tendencies. It is also the title of Finnish black metal project 359's latest offering, which dropped in mid-August through Schattenkult Produktionen. While I'm not sure if the band's name is influenced by the Council of Rimini or the start of the Roman's scorched earth policy (both which happened in the year 359), it's not really important. What does matter is that 359 offers some solid black metal, which follows in the grand traditions of Finnish black metal, yet tempered with a sense of reverent stoicism towards the second wave.

359 is the solo project of Sunken, who has played in a few Finnish black metal bands over the years. He formed the project in 2006 and released a three track demo in 2008. The follow up EP, The Path of Ayin, was released eight years later, and again features just three tracks. At only eighteen minutes, this latest offering is a short, yet surprisingly effective jaunt into the realms of Finnish black metal. The first track offers sweeping trem riffs and frenetic percussion, with a Fenriz-like adherence to focusing on hi-hat weaving, colliding with a rather cold and devoid second wave sound. This grandiose trem riffing breaks way for a more aggressive approach on the next two tracks, which often recalls the likes of Tsjuder, yet the simplistic yet primal drumming gives the sound a completely raw and rabid feel.

The songs offer a nice flow, but I find myself listening to the grandiose, sweeping styling of the opener far more than the following tracks. It's not that they're bad, because they aren't, it's just that the opener feels so much more complete and satisfying. Overall, though, it's actually quite refreshing to hear a band honoring the sound of classic black metal, even more so with this era's constant bombardment of chaotic, sonically dense black/death metal. The Path of Ayin offers a trem-driven sound, combining the nuanced melodies that the Finnish scene is known for with a harsher, cold rawness. While it's not entirely essential material, fans of Finnish black metal would do well to keep their eyes on this project.