Suldusk – Anthesis
Release Date: 1st March 2024
Label: Napalm Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Dark Folk, Blackgaze, Post-Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Prog, Doom.
FFO: Myrkur, Oathbreaker, Chelsea Wolfe.
Review By: Rick Farley
Darkly mesmerising, Australia’s folky blackgaze band Suldusk returns for album number two Anthesis, releasing on the mighty Napalm Records March 1st, 2024. Founded by immensely talented Emily Highfield, she released the bands debut album Lunar Falls in 2019 to much fanfare. Emily’s one-woman project Suldusk immediately became a groundbreaking musical force to watch out for. Combining the melancholy yet fierceness of post black metal with dark folk, atmospheric soundscapes and elements of doom all wrapped up in a stirring musical whirlwind of dark vs light. The phrase of good vs evil or dark vs light in music has become a bit of a clichéd thing to say that I am guilty of saying myself in past reviews, but in this case, there is simply no other way of expressing how it truly applies to Suldusk. One track can go from beautiful acoustic guitar melodies with piano and luscious vocals to the seething vile of black metal with growls straight from the pits of hell. Angelically entrancing one minute and violently twisted the next. If I had to sum up the unique synthesis of sound with one word, that word could only be “stunning.”
Anthesis, which means to bloom, or rather the opening of the flower bud, initially started as once again just Emily, but eventually turned into her recruiting other talented musicians to help elevate her musical vision into an intense, powerful, and heavy record. With themes of grief and acceptance, the record thematically matches the haunting darkness and sombre beauty of the music.
Incredible balance as well as masterful understanding of emotional contrast shines throughout the record, especially in tracks like Verdalet, which begins immediately with blast beats, searing tremolo picking, and Emily’s sultry voice soaring overtop, transitioning to a more rhythmic riff yet softer musical melody with black metal shrieks screeching chilling dread. The juxtaposition seems drastic, but is done so well, it is nowhere near jarring. It feels and sounds completely natural, like it could be no other way. There are examples of this extreme dissimilarity everywhere on this record, you will get completely lost within the music that your range of emotions are delightfully ignited and fully immersed. Another example of this is the closing track A luminous End which features Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous) on cello. A seven-minute opus of acoustic prog rock and frosty black metal. Upbeat and hopeful turns into nightmarish and ugly. The middle section which is a whole other dynamic passage of vibrant meets melancholy with mournful cello’s turning into a triumphant section of energy only to drift out into a moving bassline and calm acoustic guitars. Tracks like Crystalline will tear at your heartstrings as well as cave in your chest with its monstrous doomy guitars, while the tenderness of Sphaera gracefully seduces you into a trancelike state.
Anthesis was produced and mixed by Troy Mccosker and was mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson (Soilwork, Katatonia, Opeth). The record sounds incredible. Precise, and raw all at the same time.
Aside from the phenomenal songwriting, clean production and alluring soundscapes, Emily’s vocals are what bring this to masterpiece like status. Her brilliant voice is sultry, captivating, soft, powerful, aggressive, and haunting. Almost dreamlike qualities to vocal passages elevate the music to levels of breathtaking. Do not get me wrong, the songwriting is top-notch, but her vocals tie everything together in an ethereal way that is hard to explain. It’s simply something you will have to feel for yourself. Anthesis is a true journey from beginning to end.
(5 / 5)
