Cold of Ages

While the “Cascadian black metal” moniker has become synonymous with Wolves in the Throne Room, Ash Borer, from Arcata, California prove that the American Northwest has more than one standout black metal act to offer. Ash Borer plays massive, elaborate songs that conjure haunting yet majestic images of pitch black forests and starless skies. The group’s sophomore release, Cold of Ages expands on the already sizable pallet of the self-titled debut, introducing even greater depth and variety to the compositions.

Like the debut, Cold of Ages consists of several long songs (ranging from 11-18 minutes) with flowing, nontraditional song structures. Two or three riffs will play off one another, cultivating a complex emotional landscape before seamlessly bridging into a new group of riffs. While Cold of Ages is dark and creepy, it is also quite romantic, with many riffs overflowing with intense emotions. However, Ash Borer never slips from the romantic into the saccharine; the band’s sound is simply too grandiose to be bogged down by individual sentimentality.

The members of Ash Borer have great chemistry. On many occasions, the guitarists don’t play identical progressions, yet there is constant harmony. The keyboards are very subtle, but accentuate the sublime element of the music. While the high pitched screams are not the primary element to Ash Borer’s sound and often disappear for long stretches, they do provide a cutting edge when they are present. The drumming is arguably the best thing about Ash Borer; the performance is varied, intricate and energetic.

While the predominate element of Cold of Ages is black metal, there are extensive passages of doom metal, post metal and drone. There are also a few non-metal passages, including the chilling ambient intro to “Descended Lamentations” and the uncanny choirgirl vocals on “Convict all Flesh”. Still, Ash Borer has no issue turning out shrill barrages of tremolo, i.e. terrifying riffs scattered throughout “Removed Forms”.

Though there are quite a few stellar riffs on Cold of Ages, there are also a few passages that lack flavor. The band is guilty of dragging out a few of the less interesting passages for too long. Still, the peaks significantly outnumber the valleys and the compositions contain enough details that Cold of Ages remains rewarding, listen after listen. Those who enjoy elaborate, expansive black metal compositions with unpredictable song structures a la Weakling and Wolves in the Throne Room will find Cold of Ages to be a captivating and moving record.

Originally written for deafsparrow.com