lista zespołów Symphonic Black Astral Emersion Monuments of Burning Skies

Inner Nocturne’s multi instrumentalist, Tomasz Grzelak, has found another project, « Astral Emersion », but this time, he goes with two additional musicians, Tomasz Karwacki (guitar, synths & drum programming) and Cameron Mcmillan (bass guitar). He keeps his habits because the band also plays cosmic black metal. The difference is that they bring more symphonic elements which, combined with the atmospheric touches, make those space lovers’s music closer to Arcturus or Sear Bliss (“The Arcane Odyssey” period).

Like Inner Nocturne, the tracks are often long but are also better, mainly because Astral Emersion is a tricephalic entity and Tomasz K took charge of all the music (except bass lines). Thus, the symphonic black metal of those Polish guys is more diversified and alternates atmospheric, symphonic and fast and rough passages as in the first track “Born of the Abyss”.

The atmosphere is really cosmic and the band plays with lots of little sounds. The synths sometimes get the lead role like the excellent song “Before the Sun…” which offers the listeners a nice progression in a crescendo style: the first minutes are ambient, then the guitars act like a deflagration before delivering a powerful symphonic black metal. There’s also a little epic side that makes the trip more attractive. The black metal vocals are good and make sense, and go together with the guitar riffs. Reminder: Tomasz G realized the guitar solo on this track.

As we always say, the shorter the better: “Where Dragons Breathe in the Fog” is a “short” track compared to the others (which go up to 7-8 minutes) but this is a greatly efficient one with all the little sounds that make the difference. The wonderful and interstellar tinklings go very well with the guitars, the astral solos and the drums roughness. I like it a lot.

Astral Emersion really draws our attention thanks to the efficiency of its tracks and thanks to the really elaborate spatial dimension. Some monotonous parts are to be reviewed but this is a high potential band whose cosmos love seems stronger than anything.

“And we freeze the color of the Moon
And we shape galactic wreath of stars
And we breed daemonic universe
To Arise under splendid wings of Night”