Icosandria first emerged with a self-titled EP back in 2022, which showcased the Portuguese band as an adventurous hybrid between post metal, progressive metal, and blackgaze/post black. Even at these early stages, they seemed to pull in such a wide range of influences that their sound was hard to predict and seemed to swing wildly from one track to the next. Two years later the group has followed up that EP with their full-length debut, A Scarlet Lunar Glow, which reigns things in slightly in favor of a more cohesive listen. It’s still an expansive effort that covers a lot of ground though, and for those that like the more melodic and reflective side of blackgaze this album is sure to be a winner.
Admittedly it does take Icosandria a song to really open up their sound and showcase what A Scarlet Lunar Glow is all about, as opener “Black Hxle 1999” delivers a very different first impression. Here the band starts off with a slower groove and ominous keyboard melody that has more of a post metal or sludge feel before transitioning over to black metal blast beats. It’s perhaps the heaviest and most direct offering on the album, and once things switch over to “Event Horizon” it almost sounds like you’re hearing an entirely different band. On this track things start off with an expansive and shrill lead that has a lot more black metal to it, but by the mid-point the melodies take over and head in a more Alcest sounding direction with warm textures. From there a lot of other influences start to come into play, and while post metal and post black/blackgaze still form the foundation of songs like “A Scarlet Lunar Glow Pt. 1” and “Yggdrasil” the instrumentation explores everything from progressive and alternative rock to post hardcore. There’s a lot of depth to these tracks, and while you won’t find any left turns into drum and bass or other completely out there transitions like there were on the EP, Icosandria still switches things up often enough in an unpredictable way. What I like about A Scarlet Lunar Glow the most is how warm and fuzzy it is, emphasizing waves of melody and melancholy with just the right burst of heaviness, and it reminds me of a ton of different bands without falling too closely to any particular one. Sometimes this may be blackgaze territory like Alcest or Lantlos, while other melodies and guitar leads give off more of a Karnivool or A Perfect Circle feel.
Bands that take a progressive slant to genres like blackgaze or post metal often strive to have a lot of variety to both their instrumental and vocal arrangements, and Icosandria is no exception. There’s a lot happening throughout A Scarlet Lunar Glow, as initially you get higher screams and lower growls but things open up significantly starting with “Event Horizon”. Here the screams give way to soaring clean singing that brings a lot more rock influence into the mix and adds to the warmer textures the recording offers. The harsher pitches may prove to be hit or miss depending on taste, as sometimes they lean closer to post hardcore than extreme metal, but given the blackgaze foundations this type of approach makes sense. On the singing front Icosandria shakes things up a lot too, sometimes heading into ethereal territory while other songs go for a more direct approach, and the performances bring both Maynard James Keenan and Chino Moreno to mind depending on the song. There were a few sections where the screaming contrasted just a bit too much with the softer melodies, taking away from what the rest of the band was doing, but these were thankfully a rare occurrence.
Icosandria’s full length debut is an album that grew on me a lot more after the first few listens, as once its shimmering melodies and combination of styles sunk in I found myself drawn back again and again. It’s not as heavy or intense as some of the other blackgaze out there, instead spending a lot of time on softer textures, but if you approach it from a progressive rock/metal lens as well things may start to click more. Admittedly the opener is the most straightforward and least interesting out of the material, which does hurt first impressions a bit, but give this one a chance and you’ll discover a band really striving to head in their own direction. A Scarlet Lunar Glow is available from Black Lava Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg