ASTROFAES: "Dying Emotions Domain"

As soon as I had heard Drudkh's first few albums back in 2006, I've been a sucker for anything related to these mysterious Ukrainian figures, and so I've tracked down a lot of Hate Forest and Astrofaes records since then. While some Astrofaes albums, most prominently Ancestors' Shadow and Heritage, stand very close to the same melancholic yet epic spirit as the personally revered Autumn Aurora, things sounded a little different on Dying Emotions Domain, their debut album from 1998 that now sees another well-deserved reissue via Negative Existence.

That said, don't expect autumnal, wistful acoustic chords here; Dying Emotions Domain is really fucking harsh and loud black metal. The wall of sound is a massive blast to unprepared ears. ”The Black Woods Theory” is a brief synth intro, setting a natural yet thrilling atmosphere (that, interestingly enough, has the same sample behind as Drudkh's ”False Dawn” in its beginning), but it is shortly after followed by the blast beats and relentless guitar walls of ”Fiery Mysticism”. The sound isn't utterly lo-fi, however, so everything is enough audible – including the keyboards that have a prominent role here as well. They play along the crude black metal pretty nicely, so I am not harassed by the keyboards at all unlike many other people I've heard of. Usually they follow the violent chord progressions, but sometimes they're given the role of an epic climax, as in ”At Nightfall”.

Dying Emotions Domain is surprisingly diverse and endurable for multiple listens. The album might take its time to open, but it eventually rewards. Considering the album's release year and place (Ukraine), it's almost a shame how little this album has garnered attention, because it is clearly above the average along with bands like Nokturnal Mortum (speaking of which, see the similar folk influences on ”Path to Burning Space”). I'm not saying that we're dealing with an essential piece of black metal here, but a really recommended album from two decades past, that's for sure. There's plenty of interesting stuff to find from Dying Emotions Domain and it should satisfy the listeners of the Eastern European black metal scene. Just skip the unreadable English lyrics (unless you're in for some giggles) and you'll do just fine.

3.5 / 5