Cycles

Since forming in 2013, the nature-themed black metal / folk ambient project Crown of Asteria, helmed by Megan Woods, has given listeners a substantial discography to hear with a mix of albums and EPs. Unusually 2014 was a lean year with just two releases of which the EP "Cycles" is under my jaundiced eye for review. Another unusual thing to note is that of the two songs on this EP, the title track is a very short piece at 5 minutes while "Cassiopeia: Queen of the Skyline" is five times as long. The challenge for CoA is how to maintain listener interest in a very long instrumental meditation on the Cassiopeia constellation - and through that, the mystery of the universe and humanity's place and purpose in it - and incorporate enough variety, emotion and atmosphere in a piece bound to wander in many directions without losing focus.

Beginning with gradual fire-crackle and wind ambience, and working her way through gentle acoustic guitar melodies into black metal fire, as if describing a secret ritual, Woods draws her audience deep into her world of silent and dark pine tree landscapes and up to cloudless night skies where expansive cosmic vistas beckon. The ritual of transition is not very long but it can be very emotional and intense. Searing-hot black metal guitar erupts and blazes away in a succession of often hellish-sounding and abrasive riffs and melody loops. At about the halfway mark the music recedes into an acoustic guitar passage and for a while both folk and BM co-exist before another outburst of blackened fire. The only thing here that detracts from the music is the astoundingly limp percussion which is not needed at all and if anything puts a brake on the music's free flow and expression. As if answering my prayers, the track does detach from its percussion moorings and floats adrift in quiet meditation and serenity.

The short "Cycles" piece is a gorgeous poem of lush, wet forest ambience with trembling and surprisingly frantic guitar melody and echoing night-insect crackle. Repetition and layered acoustic guitar riffs generate an intense emotion and trance-like dream atmosphere. As it is, the track is beautiful and has a definite humid feel but I think it could have been even better if it had been a bit longer and included a strong melody culminating in a dramatic flourish.

This EP would have been great rather than just above-average if the tracks had been more evenly matched in length and variety of music, and if "Cassiopeia ..." had lost the percussion and been allowed to roam the universe, free of all earthly attachments, for its entire length. The two pieces of music would have become more complementary and be two sides of a unity. Apart from these criticisms though, I bow down to Woods' ability to compose such soulful and beautiful BM folk fusion music that encompasses yearning for and closeness to nature and the stars.