Ascetic Eventide

"Pure Wrath" is an atmospheric black metal one-man solo project. If you never heard of it before you may think it comes from one of the Scandinavian countries; not even close as it hails from Indonesia, a quite uncommon country within the subgenre. And this is what makes this project so special, the ability to replicate the coldness of Northern Europe from a relatively hot and humid country.

The man behind this project calls himself Ryo and takes part in two other brutal death metal projects called "Perverted Dexterity", "Omnivorous" and "Cadavoracy". It is unlikely for bands or musicians to switch genres so drastically within the underground scene so, when this happens, it raises a lot of curiosity, at least to me.

Despite being an atmospheric work, "Ascetic Eventide" has some traces of the other projects, especially in the drumming, with the use of powerful blast beats. All of the other elements are relevant, the bass is prominent and very noticeable is songs like "Colourless Grasslands" and "Pathetic Fantasies", the guitar melodies are very diverse, with melancholic and grim/icy riffs, the vocals; not being outstanding; are solid, so is the mentioned drumming. Special mention to the atmospheric elements such as flutes, piano and keyboards, that really gives the impression of being in the middle of a vast and desolate landscape.

The songwriting is very accurate, the lyrics are oneiric and transcendental and really fit with the melodies and music in general. The production is balanced; you can easily differentiate all the elements presents in the album, and none of them stands out from the others.

There are six songs, with a high average duration, but I guess is the regular standard of the subgenre. The style of them varies depending on where they are placed. For example, the first three songs are the most traditional in terms of atmospheric black metal, with icy riffs, gloomy melodies, pace changes, and several folk elements. "In Cold World" (the fourth) supposes a change in the album’s dynamic; it is nearly an interlude, being the short and the most instrumental of them all. The last two turn out to be the most avant-garde or modern, with strong blackgaze and post-black metal influences, with a lot of piano and keyboard use. Paradoxically, not only are they the last, but also my favorite. Also, special mention to the opening track.

"Ascetic Eventide" is a nice and sober piece of atmospheric black metal, a very balanced and solid debut and one of the most relevant works of the year within the subgenre.