It’s nine years since Arbrynth dropped their self-titled debut. At that time, these Australians were a five-piece, playing a brand of folk-inspired, prog-tinged black metal, given an almost symphonic note by then-bassist and vocalist Tina, who has since departed. Scrolling forward to 2020 and their sophomore effort, Arbrynth — now a quartet — have narrowed their scope and arguably been somewhat less adventurous on A Place of Buried Light, which is a 50-minute slab of atmospheric black metal. What makes this such an excellent release, however, is the quality of the songwriting and the depths of emotion it plumbs.
I say that A Place of Buried Light is narrower in scope than the self-titled debut but by that I mean that it’s more cohesive and plays with fewer disparate influences. From the first discordant and sonorous notes of opener “Crucible,” Arbrynth pulled me down into a dark, swirling maelstrom of depressive gorgeousness. Dual doomy clean and harsh, rasped vocals from guitarists Dodds and Pete work together to generate ever evolving moods, over rich post-black metal riffs. Drummer Junty switches effortlessly between thunderous black metal blast beats, complex and syncopated rhythms, and more laid back, almost delicate, patterns.
Alternately conjuring Morningrise-era Opeth and Agalloch, with smatterings of Winterfylleth on show too, Arbrynth are just so tight across this album. The epic “The Dark Between the Stars” has such a beautiful sense of forlorn longing to it, as it traverses soaring post-metal bridges between oceans of pummeling black metal and seas of seething atmospheres, that it’s hard not to be moved by it. Similarly, the atmospheric, almost choral, wanderings and acoustic passages of “Shores of Avon Ri” just emphasize the harsh ferocity when it bubbles to the surface, while pain and loss are etched into every riff, every note of the massive title track.
Although closing in on the hour mark, with all bar two songs well in excess of 7-minutes, not a single note feels wasted on A Place of Buried Light. Arbrynth skillfully weave their tale, melding furious black metal with fragile folky acoustic melodies and soaring post-black grandeur to excellent effect. Indeed, every time I listen to A Place of Buried Light, I am always surprised when it ends, as though little time has passed at all. Usually, I just hit the repeat button, as I have just done again as a matter of fact, taking me from the Agalloch-inspired title track that closes A Place of Buried Light back to the early-Opethian beauty of opener “Crucible” once again. Although not treading any new ground per se, Arbrynth do what they do so well that I am genuinely surprised they seem to be currently label-less and hope they get picked up soon, so that I don’t have to wait another nine years for them to follow up this stunning album.
Tracks to check out: “Crucible,” “The Dark Between the Stars,” “Shores of Avon Ri” and “A Place of Buried Light”
