Band: Maeskyyrn
Album: Interlude
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
The Montreal based Maeskyyrn recently released a video for their song, "Of Forests and Troubled Pasts," which of course makes this a perfect time for me to go back and do a proper review of the record it comes from. The record is steeped with second wave of black metal instrumental interludes (see what I did there), and the atmosphere is as dark and bleak as they come. Originally released October 17th, 2019, let's take a look back at the record, Interlude.
While their roots are deeply planted within the second wave of black metal, they utilize modern tools to tighten their sound such as the recording for the drums and the layers of synth that are delicately placed in the background. These do tend to add more than they subtract, and there is a ghostly presence that they are able to present that may not have been clearly communicated if not for these contemporary implements.
I'm stricken with how much feeling they have managed to get across using their particular blend of what some have come to call as black-gaze, made popular (or highly unpopular, depending on who you ask) by Deafheaven. If you want my opinion, Maeskyyrn pull it off way better than the aforementioned. As a debut record, this is better than what some bands have put out at the peak of their careers.
The complete record is a paragon of the best of what happens when you successfully meld the music to your desires, and not attempt to fit yourself into a rigid stale formula. Maeskyyrn have given some new life to black metal, and I can only hope they will continue to bring their excellence with future releases.
I'm giving Interlude a 9.5/10