They may not have quite as much notoriety as some of the other black metal bands that formed in the early 90s, but Hungary’s Sear Bliss has arguably released some of the more interesting atmospheric and melodic black metal out there. One of the differentiating elements for Sear Bliss besides their country of origin was the prominent use of horns from the very start, as their demo featured trumpet work and later efforts shifted to the trombone. My first encounters with the group came courtesy of 2007’s The Arcane Odyssey and a later re-issue of 2002’s Forsaken Symphony, and I found their more grandiose and powerful take on the genre to be an appealing one. Over time albums from the band have been a bit farther apart, with the average being about five to six years, and this is once again the case as ninth full length Heavenly Down comes six years after 2018’s Letters From the Edge. This one takes a slightly moodier and mysterious tone, with plenty of dark and introspective sections peppered in between the more up-tempo and bombastic arrangements. While it took a little more time to sink in, the amount of depth Heavenly Down provides is a demonstration of just how strong Sear Bliss is even in their third decade of existence.
Heavenly Down has its fair share of passages where the tempo picks up into a flurry of blasting drums, powerful riffs, and soaring trombones, capturing plenty of that same melodic and symphonic black metal that Sear Bliss has been known for throughout their career. But it spends just as much time exploring more mysterious avenues, slowing things down in favor of darker melodies and more introspective tones that make the destructive sections hit that much harder. Opener “Infinite Grey” gives you a good idea of what to expect from this multi-faceted approach, as you’re initially greeted with some softer synth that builds into a raging whirlwind of blasting that the synths seem to soar over top of. But around the two minute mark the abrasive elements subside and the guitar and synth head into more subdued textures, giving off a bit of a haunting folk feel. “Watershed” continues this direction with moodier percussion and synth layers that lead into a slower and methodical chug that is punctuated by bursts of trombone. It’s not quite as progressive as an album like Eternal Recurrence, but Heavenly Down offers a few more twists and turns compared to Letters From the Edge and builds off the foundation from that album quite well. For those that want the classic Sear Bliss sound with big riffs and even bigger horn arrangements, tracks like “The Upper World” and “Chasm” fit that perfectly, while arrangements like the title track and “The Winding Path” get under your skin with equal amounts of power and somber melodies. With its generally slower pacing compared to some of the other albums in the band’s discography, it did take a little longer for Heavenly Down to sink in for me. But once it did there were so many reasons to return, and those subtle synth lines and haunting melodies stick with you just as much as the more aggressive riffing and powerful horn work does. The production is also noticeably more spacious than Letters From the Edge, giving each instrument more of a chance to breathe and shine at different points.
Sear Bliss has gone through significant lineup changes over the years, but founder András Nagy has remained the main constant and his raspy screams remain just as strong as they’ve been throughout the band’s three decades of existence. With the fuller sound of the production his screams come through with just the right amount of intensity, and the way that each word seems to hover over the recording contributes some additional grit to the material. “Infinite Grey” brings in some guest vocals from Lambert Lédeczy (Rothadás, Tyrant Goatgaldrakona) which is instantly noticeable as he has such a lower range compared to Nagy. Long-time trombonist Zoltán Pál handles some of the backing vocals, bringing a more somber and melodic approach that gives more variety. There’s a lot more nuance to the vocal work than is sometimes typical for black metal of this type, and it continues to make a difference for Sear Bliss.
Over the years Sear Bliss has remained an underrated band, as despite putting out consistently strong albums they don’t come up in conversation nearly as much as other black metal artists that have been around for just as long. Heavenly Down isn’t quite my favorite of the bunch, but the fact that on album number nine these guys are writing material this stunning and are at a consistently high level says a lot. The mixture of softer atmosphere with prominent synth work and Sear Bliss’ usual bombastic arrangements with well-utilized trombone makes for material that captures the spirit of their earlier work while still pushing forward into new territory, and while it may take a few spins to pick out the nuances the investment is worth it. Heavenly Down is available from Hammerheart Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg