Displaced and Uncharted

Maybe this review comes a bit late. Maybe it would have been more appropriate to present it along with the interview, which appeared in the 16th edition of my magazine. Maybe. 'Displaced and Uncharted' would be the debut album of the American, who would be the head behind this project. It took a couple of previous outputs until the band had been ready for a big jump. This then contains four long tracks in a dense atmospheric funeral doom fashion and with it Auaesuve continues the path they have walked on for quite some time. As can be seen from the length of the release, which is given above, it is by no means short and the compositions range from 11:24 to 19:51. What might strike the listener as bewildering is the actual development of the music the more it progresses and this requires some explanation.

It needs to be stressed that the emphasis on the melodies and the charming sweets atmosphere of the opener 'Sprouting Resplendent Wings' is by no means representative for other three compositions. Even though the basic setting remains the same in some respect, it all changes and evolves over time. It becomes ever unpleasant and more bewildering. The harmony begins to break down, fragment, dissolve; something quite apparent in the last composition, which is not only strange due to the overall lack in the vocals. The emphasis on a mixture between noise and ambient, with some kind of distance towards the listener and less ear-friendly in style, unravels something that could not have been anticipated in the first minutes of this CD. Instead of leading the person along the path, it is rather unwilling in this respect and maybe even tries to ignore him or her altogether.

Actually, Auaesuve never offers music that is too pleasant or rather too cheering to begin with. A few minutes into the opener reveal the basic concept of the band: a dense layer in the background with various types of vocals on top of it – to simplify a bit. In terms of the latter aspect the American musician behind this project switches between deep (distorted?) growls and black metal screams. Which of these can be experienced depends on the track, because the band tries to keep the overall approach rather minimalist and without much of playing around; something that resulted in a limitation and scale. Some slight variation in tempo are allowed to pop-up now and then, but from a broader perspective their amount can generally be neglected. They help to break the monotony a bit; like the one drum pattern in the opener for instance.

What makes the music interesting is the bombast or rather the intensity in the concept. Whether it is the opener or the last composition all breathe this vibe of sheer energy that lies hidden somewhere but prevented from breaking out at a moment's notice. This has to do with the guitars and their impact. Unlike bands similar to Nortt for instance, the American one put the emphasis on the metal part, while influences from the ambient and noise genre are merely allowed to accompany them than to create some sort of dominance. The strings are nearly omnipresent, while the keyboards are reduced to an element in the background.

Remembrance meets Sabazius meets Sunn O))) might give an impression of what to expect on this album. Contrary to what other funeral doom metal bands tend to play, the American one adds a good amount of layers and drone elements into their concept. Maybe the band can be described as a heavy and better thought through version of 'Until Death Overtakes Me'. Those four compositions are an intense trip and present the music of this genre in an interesting approach. More or rather clearer counterpoints would have been nice, but maybe the next release will have this on a larger degree.

Note:
Limited to 150 copies and can also be downloaded for free from:
http://archive.org/details/Auaesuve-DisplacedAndUncharted

Based on a review originally written for ‘A dead spot of light (Number 20)’:
http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number20