Starlit Passage

Black metal is often horribly misleading. When all the ingredients for a fine feast are at hand, the end product should surely be delectable, delicious and heavenly. Right? Well, all is not well in this troublesome genre that contains many misconceptions. Modern day black metal isn’t obsessed with traditional values as much as it once was. Its obsession as swayed and is on course for allowing experimentation with new sounds and fusions with other genres that creates certain sub-genres like ambient black metal, or depressive black metal, the most common form of fusion in today’s society. However, under the layers of depression that mask the façade of this once formulaic genre, certain sides lie hidden in the depths that are largely unheard or spoken of. Enmerkar, a sure-to-be-much-debated American band are prophesising a form of atmospheric black metal, but there is much more to this than meets the eye. Shades of grey cover the multi-coloured soundscapes that this band inflicts upon its audience and clichés scar the end result in this maligned effort from a part of the world where black metal is supposedly flawed in every possible way. I once read somewhere that this band likes to mix post-rock and shoegaze with its black metal styling but, to be honest, I don’t hear it.

The atmospheric tag is sufficient enough and this band does not warrant an inclusion into the list of post-rock inspired black metal bands where acts like Altar of Plagues and Fen reside, content in the notion that bands like Enmerkar will not succeed them to the crown. I would imagine the shoegaze description would come from the elongated soundscapes that are elegantly displayed in a series of repetitive ambient section that stretch out into the distance like a road that leads to the never ending horizon. I do not believe that, however much the musicians might be inspired by shoegaze and the like, that this fits into the list of notable acts attempting to pioneer this fusion of genres. This, to me, is closer to ambient black metal than it is post-rock, or shoegaze inspired black metal. The notion of such a genre only became accessible to the masses, seemingly, when Alcest changed their style from the romanticised black metal sound that Amesoeurs later took on, to the shoegazing soundscapes of ‘Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde’ that opened up a new world to most metal fans who were stuck inside their bubbles. Everything about ‘Starlit Passage’ screams “look at me! - We’re following in the footsteps of the bands who have hit the heights of mainstream glory.”

Personally, as a fan of Alcest and the like, I cannot disparage the new styles that are springing up. In fact, I praise it, but when bands pretend to be something they’re not, that is when I develop an attitude that is problematic to the band’s fan base. I’m not even sure it’s the band themselves who’re creating this apparent fuss, it may just be the over exuberant fans who’re delving into their boxes of magic and creating ambiguous tags for bands who don’t necessarily fit the style they’re claiming they do. Enmerkar, to me, are what the individual dedication says they are - atmospheric black metal. Just because a band chooses to use synthesizers as a tool for lighting up the background does not make them a shoegazing entity. The repetition of this band, the mystical vibe that is present within both the lyrics and the instrumentation, is a black metal product - not a shoegaze product. Repetition has been a central figurehead in the history of black metal since the dawn of creation and I dare say it always will be. The synthesizers, although enigmatic and obscure, aren’t the entirety of this bands sound. They add a different dimension, yes, but it isn’t the only dimension we’re offered. Unfortunately, though the combination of the synthesizers and the ever-present guitars is overwhelmingly beautiful, the content is a bit drab.

This oddly juxtaposed feel is one I did not expect, at any point prior to listening to this EP, ‘Starlit Passage’. The mystical nature, alongside the atmospheric description both intrigued me and left me in suspense, feeling that this could offer up the next best thing in the genre (though there has been a lot of those in recent times), but the end product was lacking a direction that surely would have made this little unknown EP a massive success. There are qualities here that the majority of black metal fans, regardless of what type of black metal one enjoys, can buy into. The war machine like percussion, reminiscent of the war themed raw black metal style, to the ambient guitars that often lean towards a style of distortion akin to bands like Darkspace or Velvet Cacoon and, of course, the harsh whispered vocals during certain songs that abide by these previous ideas. Unfortunately, as suggested, the music is a bit light of the content. It may be thought provoking, to an extent, and it may be nostalgic, also to an extent, but that is just the problem with Enmerkar’s debut offering - everything is offered to an extent, never in abundance.

Atmosphere is present until the style shifts from one suspected inspiration to another and in between with have a series of unfortunate events that drives my opinion towards a confused end. Before we get started on it, I, personally, do not buy into this whole argument that there’s something in the American genes that makes a musician incapable of achieving the heights that any European has achieved within this genre of metal. In actual fact, a number of obscure bands often overthrow my timid opinions of who rules this system divided by class. American bands are the worlds communist force, and Europe is the democratic force, attempting to overrule the American side which pleads for an abolishment of the class system, tearing down the reign of terror that the European black metal scene has had over its American counterpart. This mysterious entity, besides the lush ambiance, or the creative semi-acoustics, is dull. The content floats as if it were a shoegazing piece, but without conviction. I will definitely keep my eye on this band in the future, but I don’t hold as much excitement for them as I once perhaps did. Mediocre, at best.