Lichtkvlt

On what might probably be the swan song of German black metal masters Apathie for the time being they have teamed up with Austrian outfit Eschaton for releasing the split “Lichtkvlt”. The bands perfectly complement each other with their old school approach setting a similar bleak tone.

While most black metal band/project puts a lot of emphasis on building a sinister atmosphere both bands here have gone even a bit further compared to others. While the main focus is still on the riffs and the relentless drum attacks there are a lot of desperate and haunting harmonies dwelling in the background. Eerie themes presented by the lead guitars are always present. Sometimes more subtle and in other places as leading elements, defining certain parts of the song while taking the listener on a strange and occult journey

The riffing is on point with the main chords being pitched against the outstanding lead work. The melodies are dark and gloomy and always have that heavily melancholic vibe. There are a lot of calmer moments being used to create certain pictures of loneliness and despair in the listener’s mind. However, there are also lighter moments delivering a glimmer of hope.

The goal of Apathie as well as Eschaton is to blend contrasting elements, melancholy and aggression, pain and pleasure. A lot of bands throw these kinds of statements out and it often comes across like a pale attempt at making sense of a whole lot of noise. One spin through “Lichtkvlt” shows that these two outfits tried to display their ideas and their interpretation of black metal as an immersive form of dark art.

The drumming is straight-forward and while there are a lot of faster double-beat sections and a lot of details like fills or rhythm changes to highlight certain parts it never feels nervous or overly chaotic. The bands have put a lot of emphasis on presenting stringent songs and a nicely flowing album. While the instrumentation is top notch personal egos have to take a back-seat with the songs being put front and center.

The productions great for all songs being powerful and organic. Both bands went for a raw yet clear and dynamic sound giving the whole split a very coherent feeling. It is a bit of a shame that Apathie are going to take a longer break and Eschaton seem to take quite a lot of time between releases as I am sure black metal fans would be glad to get more material from both.