In short, Alunarian Bellmaster is as much an ambient album as it is a metal one – and I like the ambient stuff more. Not many can boast an “atmospheric” introduction that isn’t gratuitously different from the remainder of a release’s music. But Aureole are not most bands and “Solariis Strike” is one of the most effective introductions I can remember. It’s slow, strange, unsettling, and unpredictable, throwing down a marker of the type of ambience to follow. A piano, guitars, bells, distant screams, choral chants, and a variety of synths coalesce across the record’s softer palette, creating a sense of remoteness and eschewing predictable melodies. Though Aureole doesn’t sound like any one act, “Arrival of Deathless Interlopers” and passages from “UGC 2885” pull at a string of grander synths that remotely recall Celestite by Wolves in the Throne Room.
By contrast to “Solariis Strike,” “Alunarian Ghosts of Bellmaster” features the first metal passage from Alunarian Bellmaster. This approximates atmospheric black metal with which you’ll be more familiar, blending some of Aureole’s ambient qualities with tremolo-picked guitars and a rhythm section that’s mixed low in the soundscape. This lack of bottom end results in music that’s pleasant but toothless, despite its unsettling howls. The mix is strangely warm, lacking the coldness conveyed by much of the ambience. After the layered and unpredictable opening, I’m left disappointed by how uncreative the metal is by comparison. In fact, some of the denser synth-led passages feel heavier than the metal ones. “Arrival of Deathless Interlopers” and “Beware That Which Inhabits the Belltower” contain heavy reverb and distortion in primarily ambient passages that convey a more powerful and ominous atmosphere than the metal passages. I like Aureole more when they’re trying to be an ambient, atmospheric band and not a metal one.
Alunarian Bellmaster offers music for lonely moments, not thrill-seekers. You need to let the music wash over you and ignore your desire for hooks. I enjoy its fluid feel where textures and layers continually construct and deconstruct, flowing from light to heavy and back again. A sophisticated composer controls the emotive impact achieved. But this type of release is not an exciting one, which will always hinder its award. Alunarian Bellmaster is more like a tapestry in how it seamlessly bleeds between tracks, and musical motifs recur. But while a tapestry tells a story – and the one sheet here details a story apparently told – the relative lack of distinctive individual passages means that I struggle to distinguish one part of the album from another. It’s particularly indistinct, blurring melodies, instruments, and textures throughout. No doubt this is compounded by the length and repetition. “Beware That Which Inhabits the Belltower” captures some of the best music of the record, doing so over four minutes rather than nine. Repetition and minimalism are an important part of the Aureole sound and this track demonstrates these are possible in shorter form. By the time you’ll reach the penultimate track, there are still 25 minutes left.
Aureole is a better electronic band than it is a metal one. I enjoy the emptier, spacier ambient passages wallowing in gentle piano melodies, background vocals and synths. Letting this material rest in the background is how Alunarian Bellmaster is best consumed. But the focus around what amounts to mood music will always limit what I can award. Aureole don’t do enough to hold my interest as I commit to active listens to carry out this review. And when the overtly metal passages strike, I don’t like it as much. There’s plenty here for those that enjoy ambient music but the existence of additional material of lower quality drags down the release.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: facebook.com/aureole | markovsoroka.bandcamp.com
Releases worldwide: February 9th, 2024
