Arche – Transitions
Release Date: 16th December 2022
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Atmospheric Doom Metal
FFO: Mournful Congregation, Evoken, Skepticism, Doom:VS, Officium Triste.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Arche is an atmospheric doom metal band from Finland. Made up of E. Kuismin and V. Raitilla, the band is set to release a new opus through Transcending Obscurity on 16 December. Comprised of three tracks, Transitions is a contemplative and emotive journey through a musical landscape that is bleak yet lush and brooding yet hopeful.
Reverential Silence begins the album at a glacial pace. Full of atmosphere that oozes out of its every pore, the song is heavy both in size and sound. Clocking in at 15:30 and ushered in by the bombast of the imposing drums, Reverential Silence puts the listener in the mind of a black and white movie full of feeling and fog. When the vocals come in at the three-and-a-half-minute mark, it is with heart-wrenching fervour.
The second track, entitled Transition, is exactly what the name says. It is an acoustic interlude that transitions from the first song on the album to the last. Filled with sparse finger-picked acoustic guitar, Transition is a breath of fresh air between the lumbering mammoths that bookend it.
In a Solace Light closes the album in much the same way Reverential Silence opened it. With pummelling sections of pensive heaviness mixed with ethereal sections of acoustic guitar grandeur, In a Solace Light is a fitting companion to track one. It is similar to Reverential Silence in both pace and composition, yet it is distinct in a way that complements the other as opposed to being more of the same.
Arche never gets in a hurry, but they appear to be confident in where they are going. Like a book that teaches you how to read it as you go, Transitions forces you to slow down and then reveals itself in increments as you listen. For those who are willing to delve into its depths of emotion and despair, the reward is great. 
(4 / 5)
