ABSQUE COR – Na Zawsze Cieniem​.​.​.

What a terrifically brooding and majestic opus this is! The Polish ensemble known as Absque Cor offers atmospheric black metal with variety and plenty of interesting shifts and moods to it, and there is a bleak, windswept beauty to its six lengthy compositions that immediately stands out and grabs the listener by the collar. Filled with raging outbursts, tranquil and meditative passages, epic riffs, and gloriously harsh vocals, this disc is nothing less than an expertly written and well-played slab of heartfelt music that resonates quite a bit with this scribe. Given that the Siberian cold recently crept into each nook and cranny of Norway (which is basically a polite way of saying that I am freezing my balls off these days), the evocative nature and contemplative quality of Na Zawsze Cieniem​.​.​. make it an excellent soundtrack to walks outside in the fields and mountains. It really does harness a certain elemental power, and its first five songs in particular (the sixth and closing track is a cover version of Golem’s ‘Солнце Мертвых’) are darkly bewitching and alluring stuff that could easily appeal to fans and listeners of early Agalloch, Panopticon, Grift, Galar, and Cor Scorpii just to list a few acts. The 10-minute ‘Dziękuję, że jesteś’ is the cornerstone of the LP and a sublime treat that needs to be heard.