Review Summary: perception is everything
Netherlands’ Grey Aura has always had the reputational dichotomy of being one of the most genuinely interesting bands to pop up in the last couple of years whilst also being one of the best kept open secrets in avant-garde black metal. Since their ridiculously titled debut album,
Waerachtighe beschryvinghe van drie seylagien, ter werelt noyt soo vreemt ghehoort in 2014, they’ve contorted and revitalized our preconceptions of the genre, reminding us atmospheric black metal can still be surprising. While not anything completely groundbreaking or genre-bending per se, their unique approach to black metal and synchronous storytelling has been anything but ordinary.
Grey Aura’s previous efforts have all been concept albums to an extent, usually correlating with literary works created by Ruben Wijlacker, a prominent member of the band.
Zwart vierkant’s themes revolve around an early 20th century artist traveling through a myriad of places throughout Europe and his discovery of
Suprematism, a Russian art movement that idolizes the abstract and rejects all artistic traditions and conventions. An underlying motif in
all of Grey Aura’s work is Kasimir Malevich’s
Black Square from 1915, that is referenced as, ‘the absolute zero point of painting’. A deceptively rudimentary piece of art that set out to challenge the notion that painting has to resemble reality. Notably,
Zwart vierkant piggybacks and builds upon the ideas used in their previous effort,
2: De bezwijkende deugd. Even by just scratching the surface of the concept here, it might put the perspective of this project into better comprehension of all the consideration and nuance that went into the music in tandem with the literary pieces.
Grey Aura’s foundation has always been in black metal; but their fusion of other genres, particularly jazz, has helped them cultivate a distinctive artistic identity over the years.
Zwart vierkant shows growth and is more focused and defined than any of their previous work. The production itself is also more vibrant, letting every instrument have an elucidated sound and welcomed presence. The music can go from melancholic ferocity to an encapsulating, hazy atmosphere and back again. The song structuring and ideas utilized come off as quite baroque and contextually rich in the broad scale of it all. There is predominantly, but not exclusively, flamenco jazz influences scattered throughout, as well as folk, ambient, spoken word, and audio manipulation all making themselves apparent at some point on the album. Aligning with the synonymous concept that is being expanded on from
2: De bezwijkende deugd, three of the seven songs on
Zwart vierkant are carried over from the aforementioned demo and are fully re-recorded and reimagined. The second half of ‘Parijs is een portaal’ in particular is one of many standout moments that goes to show how varied their songs can be. It paints images of seeing the band in a live, and intimate setting. The performance taking place in a dark, smoke filled speakeasy with a few other patrons nearby. You can hear their presence by the murmurs of quiet conversation and clangs of glassware but can’t physically see anyone else. Only dim candles throughout the room that incandescently radiate through the smoke of French cigarettes that permeate the room. Just like how the beacons of lighthouses would look from a great distance if you were at sea, when fog blankets the entire ocean. The room is accompanied by others that have no place to be and in the moment you all bask in the subtle confinement of the room away from the brumous weather just outside, enjoying the warmth amongst strangers in unified solidarity.
I find it no mere coincidence that up until now, Grey Aura, like what their namesake would suggest, has only featured mute colors such as black and white on their album covers. In contrast, the eclectic and bright colors used on
Zwart vierkant seem to be a reflection of their erudite songwriting and ornate marriage of concept and composition being better than ever before. Despite some questionable choices - such as a silly vocal effect that is used sparsely throughout the album, the band manages to hit much more than they miss. Grey Aura’s latest album is delightfully poetic and urgently haunting in all the right ways, managing to be dynamic in scope and confident in its adherence to experimentation. They organically weave in the use of trombones, Spanish guitars, and trumpets into the music. While purists and traditionalists of the genre should stay very far away from this, Grey Aura continue to be ambitious and shake up the formula to provide refreshing results. If
Zwart vierkant is to be used as a gauge of their trajectory, the band has anything but a grey future ahead of them.
