"Milan used to be misty, covered in fog, and Italians often still refer to the city as “grey”. It is here that Korpsvart and Ymir began writing their music, merging atmospheric black metal, blackgaze and a taste of depressive rock. After a debut EP released in 2014 and two years in the making, last summer saw the completion of “The Shrine Of Primal Fire”, the first album by A Pale December, due out for Avantgarde Music.
The band looks up to several different influences, first and foremost from Agalloch intimacy and naturalistic poetry, to Katatonia melancholy, all melting in a somewhat blackgaze-ish, round kindness. The milanese band is only debuting, but their sound is definite and varied, yet humble. A first effort which shows a precise direction, the album succeeds in mixing fury and softness, nostalgia and sense of wonder. In the musicians own words, “though not exactly what one would call a concept album, "The Shrine Of..." can be considered as a coherent journey through the most sublime, yet dismal, aspects of nature and myth; a voyage which ultimately merges with a reflection on the human condition and its fleeting nature.”
Once again the dichotomy man-nature is the ground from which a new musical and spiritual journey starts. A journey that runs through the woods, gazing at the sky and following the path of stars. Completely recorded and produced in their home studio, The Shrine Of Primal Fire finds a perfect balance between so many different feelings, making the music of A Pale December the perfect soundtrack for the impending fall.