Spheres of Aldebaran

Spheres of Aldebaran's first (and self-titled) release catches the eye with its minimalist artwork (that wonderfully matches both the EP's and the band's name, along with the cosmic themes that the lyrics deal with) and the dark sci-fi atmosphere which every part of it is full of. From the name to the cover, the lyrics and the sound of the songs themselves - everything has a grim, alien and hostile (in a way) sensation to it. That was more than enough to make me listen through the 20 minutes of music contained in it. The ideas of Lovecraftian space horrors also appear in some of the tracks, which makes the whole setting presented by the EP even darker.

The musicianship is on a good level and doesn't stray too far from what is usual for the underground black metal releases (although this one has heavy death influences, too). The recording quality isn't high, but if anything, that enhances the overall vibe and atmosphere.

The drums are very fast sometimes, almost turning into blast beats, but mostly stay on normal speed and even slow down at times. They never stay monotonous for long periods, turning to different tempos and changing basic patterns frequently in the longer songs.

The drums also nicely supplement the guitars. There's a distinct cold, machine-like feeling to the stringed instruments through the EP. They feel distanced at places. The melodies created by them aren't too complex. Their tempo is usually fairly fast, but there are cases (mainly in the instrumental parts of the release such as 'Xrothgmox') where they fade into slow, almost ambient drone-sounding rhythms that last for short amounts of time. Exactly these quiet moments, coupled with the short, both peaceful and creepy interludes between the songs (the opening piece, "Eye of a billion stars", is a good example of this) help to create the picture of a hateful and bizarre universe that the lyrics and imagery describe.

The vocals wary somewhat from piece to piece. At places they sound metallic, like they're spoken by an android (think about the opening line of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and you're on the right track). That (for me, at least) doesn't resonate well with the intense drumwork and some guitar riffs, but fits the themes and ideas of the lyrics nicely. This type of singing is most prominent in the self-titled track and "Substratal Entity".

However, there is another type of vocals appearing in the EP. They are more prominent in its second half, namely in "Ritual Airlock Defenestration" and "Conquest of the Phratoran Plateau". They are deep, guttural and very death metal-like, and I like them a lot. They reek of collected, but still raw type of agression. This also serves the purpose of the concepts presented by the band.

The lyrics are probably what ties together all the imagery, vibes and atmosphere created by the other elements of this release. The texts describe bleak wars in deep space and dark travels to the faraway depths of the universe. Humanity fights against some unknown invaders (or perhaps we are the invaders), waging hopeless war and battles which result in devastating loses (heavily touched on in "Conquest of the Phratoran Plateau"). There is also the also the Lovecraftian, otherworldy and cosmic aspect of it all, where unimaginable creatures from other dimensions and levels of existence (Xrothgmox is one such entity, I believe, along with the 'Chaogods') prey on the simple beings of the cosmos or destroy entire stars ("aeons of wrath upon the flesh of stars..."). I don't know if this is a concept EP or if the tales told by the songs are interwoven because everything is very vague and hardly makes sense at times. This is due to the numerous in-universe terms and complex vocabulary used by the creators. Maybe the idea is for everything to be vague and just invoke ominous and grim feeling within the listener/reader, in which case the lyrics do a brilliant job.

In the end, Spheres of Aldebaran remains a very good and unique effort at what is probably best described as blackened death metal. The EP presents strange horror stories and combines them with a dark sci-fi narrative, creating a series of immersive recordings. But that very same immersion holds the release back a bit, thanks to the machine-like vocals, guitar parts that are almost mediocre and lyrics that happen to be just too confusing for me at times. I'm definitely looking forward to the next release of the band, because let's be honest... There aren't many bands that make music about (and I quote) interplanatary warfare, transdimensional beings and space cults (and are very good, on top of that).