2023-06-09 07:00:18
(c) Julia Nikiforova
Patience is a virtue that fans of The Arcane Order are very familiar. Long waiting times are part of the Danish extreme metal veterans, and so in the almost eight years since “Cult Of None” the line-up has been completely changed once more. Among other things, there is even a completely new voice at the forefront with Kim Song Sternkopf from Møl. However, the sound remains as powerful, imposing and unpredictable as ever: „Distortions From Cosmogony“ strives for melodic, deadly and epic extremes non-stop.
Accompanied by lyrical treatises on humanity’s eternal struggle between authority and self-realization, this is a monumental, unpredictable bastard of an album. The mid-album heartbeat “The First Deceiver” sums up the biting, frenzied intensity of the revamped band. The Arcane Order escalate with growing enthusiasm, throwing dirt and mud around, but also find space for monumental, sprawling epic. Melody meets darkness as Sternkopf yells and smashes the track with amazing precision. The fact that there is no boredom during these seven minutes speaks for the Danes.
And they venture further and further as the game progresses. The concluding “Wings Of Duality” is one of the heaviest tracks in the band’s history, it hammers the listener incessantly and foams at the mouth. So much Black Metal has rarely been heard on The Arcane Order, mind you, embedded in familiar sound spheres and with a majestic aha moment right in the middle. “Ideals Of Wretched Kingdoms” surprises with a grooving sluggishness at times, approaches self-dissolution and comes across as incredibly mean. On the other hand, the quasi-opener “Cry Of Olympus” ruthlessly moves forward before the picture turns out to be a bit more differentiated. Surprisingly, more melody, more power, epic solos and a thundering finale fit into under five minutes.
The Arcane Order gets the personal rejuvenation audibly well. Yes, the sound is now a bit darker and blacker, gaining in heaviness and epic extremes, but that suits the Danes very well. Sternkopf does his job damn well and brings in audible influences from his other band, at the same time mastermind Flemming C. Lund pulls even bigger, even more complex arrangements out of his sleeve. “Distortions From Cosmogony” consolidates the quintet at a damn high level, breaking new ground while playing with well-known ideas – a wonderful, gloriously busted bastard of an album.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 09.06.2023
Available through: Black Lion Records
Website: www.thearcaneorder.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thearcaneorder
Slider-Pic (c) Julia Nikiforova
Category: Magazin, Reviews
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#Arcane #Order #Distortions #Cosmogony
