III

Spectral Lore's discography has seen many releases within the span of 17 years, most of which have been excellent with their mix of atmospheric black metal and ambient. However, if you were to ask me what the best release of the band was, I would have to go with their 2014 album "III". Being part of a three-part series, not only does this one out-beat the previous two records, but it also stands out as a stand-alone release.

Beginning with the first track "Omphalos", it's the shortest track on this album at just 7 minutes, but still is quite packing. The guitars sound very raw and play a deep riff, but with its repetitive nature, its atmosphere feels grand and epic. The drumming is also very intense, as the blastbeats feel intense and extreme, with its slightly primitive sound not exactly calming things down. Even the bass is very deep-tuned and follows along the chaotic guitars well. Eventually, this madness stops and instead gives way to the second part of the track, where the riffs are more atmospheric and the drumming is more calmed, but still fierce. And this is the case for the majority of the metal tracks, with "The Veiled Garden", "The Cold March Towards Eternal Brightness", and "A Rider in the Lands of an Infinite Dreamscape" standing out as highlights and including some of their best instrumentals in the band's discography with their gorgeous atmospheres that sometimes feels empowering. There's also the acoustic track "Drifting Through Moss and Ancient Stone" and ambient track "Cosmic Significance", which are both fantastic instrumentals that serve as excellent conclusion to the parts, the latter closing with even more atmospheric black metal. While "The Spiral Fountain" feels a bit standard, everything else has some amazing instrumentals, and pushes the atmospheric style through the roof.

As for the vocals, they're also really good. Ayloss's vocals on the previous records were good, but this one feels different. Instead of high-pitched shrieks, his voice is deeper, and utilizes growls and painful screams. They might sound odd at first, but it doesn't take long to get used to them. A particular example of this is in the track "The Veiled Garden", which is another atmospheric black metal track. The growling not only furthers the intensity of the riffs, but in the quieter portions, Ayloss enforces the eeriness of the atmosphere with his shattered whispers. There are a couple of moments where the vocals sound off, but they're rare, and don't take away the sheer power of the growls.

Even the lyrics in this album are great. Spectral Lore is known for having some great lyrics, but this album in particular has some poetic lyrics. For example, in the track "The Cold March Towards Eternal Brightness", this verse quotes:

Here, the soul fights eternally, inertia and stagnation its nemesis.
The march towards Actualization begins from the plainest of pathways.
Yet behind every step, as heavy or lumpy as it may be, lies a purpose.

Basically, souls are fighting a long pathway of challenges, but there is a purpose for their actions. The story does get philosophical about man and his purpose, and while it's not super deep, it does add some mystery about the soul. Not only that, but the lyrics are also fitting to the instrumentals and vocals, as the atmospheric riffs and drums further push the philosophic ideas, and the vocals enforcing the long, painful journey of the soul. The poetic styling of the lyrics are done really well here, and are only a buildup of the years of work put in the quality of the lyrics.

It may not be flawless, but "III" is considered an atmospheric black metal masterpiece by many for a reason. While it leans more towards darker riffs and painful growls, when the riffs get melodic, it only makes the atmosphere sound even grander and more epic. Not to mention that the stories told here are beautiful. While I and II are good records, the third one is clearly the band's magnum opus, and I cannot recommend this album enough.