Phobos Monolith

There are many one-man black metal bands out there. There are a lot of atmospheric black metal bands out there. But rising above them all is Mare Cognitum and all the proof you need is Phobos Monolith. With the third full length release from Mare Cognitum, we hear a band that has fully developed and matured its sound and taken its place among best that atmospheric black metal has to offer.

Phobos Monolith really consists of only four tracks, but each of these serves as a pillar that supports the album as a whole. The listener’s astral journey begins with “Weaving the Thread of Transcendence” a song that opens up with a quieter subdued introduction, however this gives way to some of the best black metal heard in recent memory. The atmosphere is incredible. It isn’t long before you find yourself floating through the void, trying to comprehend its infinite nothingness. This is not head banging metal, this metal makes you close your eyes and contemplate things: dark things, frightening things. It forces your mind to contemplate your own existence and the agony of its own futility. And this is not an effect limited to the first track; each of the four songs takes the listen to a different cosmic location, whether it is an exploding star, the center of a black hole, or drifting through nebulae. Perhaps the best example of this is the epically rewarding ending to the final track. It feels the perfect end to the cosmic journey Phobos Monolith has taken you on. It feels like being torn apart by a black hole and being enlightened at the same time. The fast and precise guitar work and thick atmosphere creates a feeling of agony, sadness, desperation, and rage. It is an emotional moment on the album, and the build up to this point on the album brings about a truly cathartic experience. That is not to say that Phobos Monolith doesn’t have moments you can’t head bang to or air guitar to, those are present, though a bit rare. But this album is really better suited to solo listening with the lights out in the deep of winter.

Mare Cognitum displays excellent production value on Phobos Monolith, especially for a one-man black metal album. The notes are all clear and the sound has great depth and breadth, which is very important when trying to musically convey the vastness of space. I honestly cannot tell if the drums are programmed or not, but if they are, they might be some of the best sounding programmed drums I have ever heard. If they are not, then it is just another testament to the musical skill of Mare Cognitum’s Jacob Buczarski. The mix is great too, the vocals are not too loud, nor too quiet, and they tastefully enhance the atmosphere. And atmosphere is very important on a black metal album such as this.

This album was actually quite a surprise, especially after listening to the Mare Cognitum / Spectral Lore split Sol, which I just could not really get into. The only bad things I have to say about this album are that the middle two tracks seem to drag on a bit longer than they need to. Or that could just be me wanting to rush to the epic and cathartic ending of the final track. Overall, this is an excellent album and one of the best releases of 2014. It is a huge improvement in terms of production, songwriting, and pure emotive power from its two preceding albums and hopefully in the future Jacob Buczarski can somehow top this magnum opus.