Black metal is a mysterious genre. No matter how deep one peers into the void, no matter how practiced one becomes in the trve kvlt, no matter how large a hole one claws into the ever expanding depth of the black metal iceberg, there will always be something new to discover. And those discoveries are often decades old, heard by barely a few.
This is Avatar. Formed in 1992, these Belgian symphonic black metallists released one album in 1996, of the present undertaking, and one more in 2011. Now how did
I find this band? I was looking up another band called “Avatar” on the Metal Archives. There are no less than 20 metal bands named Avatar recorded in their database. Out of curiosity I selected this band, and then this album, AND BEHOLD, a piece of album art so glorious I couldn’t
not listen to it.
My trve kvlt instincts and their wise selection in cover art did not fail me. Medieval atmosphere, snarly shrieks, occultic synth keys, a complete adventure into the underworld for more than an hour without need or a second to spare for respite. Like Virgil guiding Dante through the nine circles of hell, one can’t help being engulfed by the fantastical horrors of those dwelling. Forged from such fire, this album trvly honours the Memory of a Dragon.
Some bands start and go on for decades releasing dozens of albums. Others barely create a demo or just sit around chugging beers before breaking up. Still others come together to release just enough artistic energy to create a single unforgettable album, and in the black metal world, that one album is all it takes to be cemented into eternal glory.
