Antikosmos

Here's a strange thing: Shamaatae, the lone troll mastermind behind the ultra-cult Arckanum, has just released one of the most accessible black metal albums of 2008. For years, the original Arckanum albums (Fran Marder, Kostogher and Kampen - reviewed elsewhere in this issue) have changed hands for sums rivalling just about any other underground release, such was their scarcity. Compounded by label troubles, an insistence on recording progressively rawer and more abrasive material, and a ten year hiatus between albums, you can see why "Antikosmos" is such an unexpected beast.

The first striking feature of Antikosmos is the massive production overhaul that has been performed on this album, thanks in no small part to the recording venue, Sunlight studios. The sound is much stronger and far more expansive than any of the previous releases. In fact, it is probably one of the cleanest black metal production jobs from any underground band; clearer than “De Mysteriis...”, to put it into perspective.

Beginning with a ritualistic noisy swell of chanting, white noise and glitched electronics, you can tell that Antikosmos is one Arckanum album that is most definitely NOT set in a forest. Some 90 seconds in and track one proper ("Svarti") begins. It's a bold move for the first track as this is far and away the highlight of the whole album. A genius choice of paired riffs form a binary structure of verse-bridge-verse riffing that provides more richness of melody than most bands could muster in a decade. Like Transilvanian Hunger, Svarti contains a melody line in the verse so infectious that it doesn't really need a chorus at all. Yet for all the major key tunefulness, the riffs still have the crushing heaviness of a Volvo to the nut sack.

Track two (“Dauðmellin”) wades in with barely a moment's respite. A frantic deathrash driven by non-stop blast beats, it is here where you are reminded that Shamaatae started out as a drummer and learnt the guitar only as he recorded the first studio albums. Dauðmellin is a welcome kick up the tempo for anyone (prematurely) thinking Arckanum had gone soft.

Going on, the individual tracks become less well-defined, although none lack individual character or direction. Folkish riffs (“Nákjeptir”), mournful, Burzumic guitar interludes (“Eksortna”) and a puzzling futuristic-sounding noise track offer an array of approaches that makes the already minimalist 37 minute album appear somehow even shorter.

Standing apart from the traditions of Swedish metal bands who were seduced by the magic of the producer's mixing booth (Therion, Opeth, Entombed) was one of the reasons why Arckanum was thought of with such affection by black metallers. It will be interesting to see how Antikosmos is received then. This change of tact will no doubt rile some of those more hard-line 'heads, but you can't say the results weren't worth it...

(Originally written for BLAST! zine #1)