I won't lie. I'm still not sure how to pronounce “Amiensus,” nor do I know what it means. What I due know is that they sent me this LP called Asccension, and it's pretty awesome. Now based on what the band told me, I'm going to put a little disclaimer here: do not go into this expecting a straight, kvlt, tr00, f!#$ing black metal record. We already have plenty of those anyways. Instead, hit play ready for some ups and downs that result in something that, at least to me, feels pretty unique.
Now of course, it will be apparent from the start that there are more than a few black metal elements at play here. Unfortunately, the fact that they are done so well from the outset seems to have caused some reviewers to scoff when the lighter stuff kicks in. The growls and blastbeats have been wedged between plenty of rock solos and clean singing. Both male and female leads, I might add. These are backed by some pretty epic keys ranging from atmospheric soundscapes to strings and piano. ”Glass Dungeon” displays just how far this range reaches with a lovely classical piano suite.
Every sound here is lush and vibrant. Pounding drums, some acoustic passages, catchy hooks. “One in Spirit” has an awesome melodic death metal intro riff. These fusions led me to draw some mild parallels to the work of Dekadent. The vocals and keyboards, on the other hand, actually remind me of the latest two Neurotech albums. Maybe a little even a little A Perfect Circle in there as well. The overall effect is similar in that it is more soothing than aggressive.
But there is a focus on building to increasing levels of energy. This is achieved mostly through the drums and the harsh vocals. And despite having two singers at their disposal, on “Delphic Aether the band proves that they don't need to either to create a an engaging track. The result sounds like a more subdued Dimmu Borgir. The following song, “Divine Potion of Acumen” almost goes full Spiritual Black Dimensions with the classy aesthetic, intense vocals, and punctuated rhythms. But Amiensus is not comfortable copying, and thusly includes more soft interludes, seemingly as a f#$% you to the kvltest crowd.
While I do spend some time considering what tags to put the albums in my library under, I'm definitely not someone who casts anything out as a result of such things. Consider as well that Amiensus do not even consider themselves to be a black metal band. Rather, Ascension is the work of musicians just playing what feels right. In the end, this shows. You can listen for yourself on bandcamp and pick it up for $5.