Wonder

Lustre’s particular brand of atmospheric black metal has always struck me on a deep and personal level. Whether that’s through the fuzzed out reverberating guitars or the emotional and shimmering keyboards, Lustre is able to craft some of the most vivid atmospheres that have graced my ears. Wonder carries on with their signature style, yet despite no alterations to their overall sound Lustre still prove to be masters of their craft when it comes to this particular form of keyboard laden black metal.

The most notable aspect of Lustre is the heavy keyboard presence. They dominate the entire mix, pushing the guitars and vocals to the background. It’s a strange mixture, what with black metal being a predominantly guitar based genre of music, yet Lustre work Wonders with this mixing. The guitars are suitably fuzzed out, and despite being quiet can be quite easily heard and provide a good background for the shimmering keyboards. The guitars function on a minimalistic, perhaps one could say droning wavelength, indeed there’s no solos, no real riffs, just one note chords stretched out for extended periods of time. The keyboards have always been the main instrument in Lustre’s arsenal, everything else comes second. A Summer Night makes great use of the keyboards; a Burzum meets Port-Royal kind of thing with hissed vocals, ambient keyboards and quiet guitars.

The overall song structures of the songs are very simple, usually following the same formula of open with a keyboard melody, add some guitars, end with an atmospheric outro. With each songs being of an average of nine minutes with very little to differentiate between themselves, one could be led to believe that this is a boring album. With this kind of music though, one needs to approach it with the right mindset, if you go in thinking this is going to be too repetitive and way too boring then incidentally you’ll be bored out of your mind. This kind of music works best when the listener approaches it in a different way as to the way they’d approach an artist such as Iron Maiden. This isn't music for those looking for lots of riffs and solos; this is repetitive and trance inducing that above all aims to create an ethereal, even mystical atmosphere. Black metal has always been a genre than focuses on atmosphere much more than other metal genres yet Lustre takes this to the next possible extreme. The songs are incredibly minimalistic, containing only a small handful of melodies. The vocals show very little variation between pitch, dynamics and even rhythm, they’re a constant whispering shriek that could easily be missed if enough attention isn't placed upon them.

Whilst the music of Wonder is quite easy to listen to and admittedly quite accessible, this is not an album for everyone. The moods this album creates are unique, perhaps even abstract, there’s a strong sense of sorrow within this but the music also seems to deal with themes of hope and perhaps even Wonder. Nachtzeit is the kind of abstract, surrealist artist who leaves his work open to interpretation, there’s no right or wrong way to feel about the music of Lustre and this is why this kind of music is so special. It has this undeniably ability to connect with people on a mass scale; due to the ambiguous nature of these songs they have a universal factor to them, as though Nachtzeit was able to channel the collective consciousness of the entire human race when forging this album. Pretentiousness aside, this truly is a great album, the keyboard melodies are stunning to say the least and the repetitive, droning guitars create a nice backdrop to the prominent keyboards. If you weren't swayed by Lustre’s brand of black metal in the past then this will not change your mind, Lustre keeps his style of music constant with the only differentiation present in the mood of the songs. Go into this album with the proper mindset and be sucked into Nachtzeit’s surrealist view of the world.

I don’t think anything else could have been so perfectly, coincidentally accurate then Lustre’s ”Wonder”. I was lying down listening to this album in silence. My exact reaction to “Green Worlds” was this: “It's so simple yet vast in wonderment. I just imagined a leaf with droplets of water forming from under it and calmly falling in the quiet rain forest undisturbed”. When I finished the album, I felt at peace and that’s when I looked at the title of the album and realized it’s the portrayal Nachtzeit wanted to convey. It really is about wonder; about letting your mind roam free unbiased through the stretches of the universe.

It’s amazing what one musician can do with what he/she has at their disposal. There isn't anything too complex (musically) associated with any of his four compositions. Most of them consist of sample drumming, synth, minimal guitar playing and quieted ameliorative harsh shrieks. I honestly don’t think I've ever heard anything so simple yet complex. There are no words to describe what Nachtzeit accomplishes here. He somewhat overrides himself and transcends into letting us find a hidden or forgotten self from within us all. Yet at the same time, you can feel it is him. Subtle emotions wisped obtrusively yet selflessly.

The only other musician I can think of that is similar is Varg Vikernes. It’s not really about musical style, per se, but both share that aspect of an underlining genius. Both do wonder to bring simplicity to a whole new level. While Vikernes is adept in letting the audience know about his emotions - a mosaic of his being if you will – Nachtzeit leaves more to interpretation. He’s sort of the minimalist abstract artist. Lustre opens doors to new worlds and reminds us of the beauty around us we take for granted.

I remember the first time I ran through this as kind of lacking in depth. Perspective is important here and sometimes you have to mess with something until you see it differently than you originally did. I can see now that “Wonder” is not an album for everyone. I want to believe mood plays a huge part in how you interpret this. More concretely speaking it is how you personally define “wonder” and if you could picture it, what would you see?

Originally written for www.metal-temple.com

“Wonder” is the fourth full length album from Swedish ambient and atmospheric black metal act Lustre, which was formed by the sole member, Nacthzeit, in 2008. This album continues where 2012’s “They Awoke to the Scent of Spring” left off at, by furthering Nachtzeit’s already tight connection with the elements of nature via keyboard driven melodies and fuzzy black metal undertones. While “Wonder” is nothing new as far Lustre is concerned, it does toy with some slight progression to Nachtzeit’s signature sound.

Lustre’s signature sound could be attributed to the likes of early Burzum, with the emphasis slightly switched around: you know, fuzzy black metal with noodling keyboards lines. Nachtzeit has the tendency to play some type of atmospheric black metal underneath an extremely prominent synthesizer line. The synth notes, though, usually sound like some type of simple bell pattern played with one finger. That description sure sounds like a lot of other acts, but the synthesizers are so prominent that it almost completely drowns out the black metal that is being played underneath. Add in the fact that the guitars are extremely fuzzy and so distant that you need to strain to hear them, it makes for a harrowing listen, even if the presentation attempts a somewhat melodic and relaxing atmosphere.

Like I mentioned, “Wonder” continues the tried and true synth driven sound that was present on Lustre’s earlier releases, but there are some added elements and a little progression in the sound. “Moonlit Meadow” shows this during the last few minutes by not only showcasing the simplistic bell synth but by also adding what sounds like harp notes on the synth. These harp verses bell synth sections show up all over the album and add some much needed depth to Lustre’s sound. Certain parts of the album also back off and allow the synths and simple drum programming to take center stage, like on the middle of “Green Worlds” where the dueling synths threaten to lure you into cathartic realms.

There are sections that showcase some fuzzy trem picking guitar lines and fairly fast paced drumming, but they usually lurk behind a layer of synth. The sections that do give the guitars a little more prominence work surprisingly well, especially given Nachtzeit’s historical aversion to the same. I just can’t help but notice that the guitars are usually more laid back when reaching towards the front of the mix, with floating chords and slight chord progressions. The introduction to “A Summer Night” shows the guitars with this more laid back approach, even while the drums are doing a rhythmic double bass pattern. Speaking of drums, they’re a hell of a lot more prominent this time around, meshing with the synths to induce a few bouts of reverie.

While the entire album doesn’t suck you into a trance, there are portions that stand out. With each track running about nine minutes, there’s a lot of time for waning and waxing. I’ve always felt that Nachtzeit should open up and let something other than the keyboards take center stage. By giving the drums and guitar slightly more prominence at times, Lustre is moving in the right direction. If you’ve been a fan of Nachtzeit’s previous work then you will dig this, as it’s one of his best releases thus far. This synth driven, fuzzy atmospheric black metal requires the proper attitude and mindset to fully enjoy; such as a walk in the woods or relaxing under a tree by a stream. This is better than the prior Lustre releases, but there is still work to be done.

Written for The Metal Observer:
http://www.metal-observer.com/