_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Ashtar ::\ :: Album :: Ilmasaari :: :: Year :: 2015 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Czar of Crickets R.date :: 2017.03.09 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: CZAR027 Size :: 87,41 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 263kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint Stereo . . . Website :: https://www.facebook.com/ashtarband __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Des siΦcles qui Θternellement sΘparent le corps 07:16 :: :: mortel de mon Γme :: :: 02. She Was a Witch 05:54 :: :: 03. Celestial 12:57 :: :: 04. Moons 05:08 :: :: 05. These Nights Will Shine On 08:26 :: :: 06. Collide 06:24 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 46:05 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Ashtar is the project of Marko Lehtinen, drummer of Swiss :: :: psychedelic stoner rock act Phased, and Witch N., formely :: :: bassist, violinist and backing vocalist, of Swiss doom/death :: :: band shEver. With Ashtar, the two members move closer to the :: :: doom metal edge, along with a fair amount of black metal :: :: influence and sludge extensions. :: :: :: :: The debut album of Ashtar, Ilmassari, is built around the :: :: doom weight. Heavy riffs continuously come down, as the band :: :: travels through different modes. The switch to stonerized :: :: doom moments in "She Was A Witch" and the sludge injections :: :: to the already heavy methodology shine in "Celestial," :: :: "Moons" and "Collide." And as is expected, along the heavy :: :: riffs come the repetitive patterns, constantly grinding. In :: :: some cases these parts are able to give a sick, twisted jam :: :: session with the circling riffs producing a morbid feeling, :: :: for example in "Celestial" and the middle part of "These :: :: Nights Will Shine On." :: :: :: :: Then there is also the black metal side of Ashtar, coming in :: :: very early in this album with the atmosphere of the opening :: :: track radiating a cold, detached aura. The riffology soon :: :: starts to point to that direction as well, with "Moons" :: :: switching comfortably between the sludge sound to an :: :: aggressive black metal outbreak. What is very nicely done :: :: however is the manner in which Ashtar can move through the :: :: different tempos, approaching the black metal parts with :: :: speed and fury, while meeting the doom riffs with groove and :: :: energy, in "Moons" for instance, or with a ritualistic :: :: quality in "Celestial." :: :: :: :: The one track that I find to really stand out in this album :: :: is "These Nights Will Shine On," for its very good merge of :: :: black metal and doom. By far one of the most ambitious :: :: moments of the album, alongside the spacious "Celestial," it :: :: provides an outstanding moment, where the fury and eerie :: :: aspects of black metal can exist within a doom setting, as :: :: the leads add more emotion and despair to a tremendous :: :: track. What is also very nicely done in this album is the :: :: construction of ambiance, through means of enriching the :: :: background. Simple additions such as the whispers in the :: :: opening track can go a long way, while the inclusion of some :: :: clean, creeping melodies in "She Was A Witch" and :: :: "Celestial" give more depth to the track. However, the most :: :: complete moment, in terms of ambiance and instrumentation, :: :: has to be the final track of the album, "Collide" seeing the :: :: inclusion of violin and the peaceful background setting the :: :: stage perfectly for the sludge weight that will soon come. :: :: :: :: Ilmasaari is a solid album, revealing a band that has a :: :: great grasp on doom metal and uses interesting methods to :: :: enhance the basis of their sound. However, it is tracks such :: :: "These Nights Will Shine On" and "Collide" that really shine :: :: and tell of an even greater future that will arrive, :: :: hopefully soon. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2017 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :