Aara - Triade Ii: Hemera

Black vinyl / The wonderfully productive Swiss atmospheric Black Metal band AARA return with urgency to unleash "Triade II: Hemera", their 4th full-length since 2019 and the second chapter of the Melmoth trilogy. Based upon the 1820 Gothic novel 'Melmoth the Wanderer' by Charles Robert Maturin - and closely connected in style and atmosphere to 2021's initial instalment "Triade I: Eos" - each of the 6 brutally melodic tracks follows the book's chronological mid-point narrative in a dazzling critical examination of theism and scepticism through the medium of top-tier Black Metal. Although conceptually aligned with part one of the trilogy, "Triade II: Hemera" further-advances the AARA sound into realms of progressive extremity: defined once again by the beauteous lead melodies of composer/guitarist Berg, the record combines a raw violent undertow with subtle rhythmic shifts, left-field riffs/refrains and sublimated vocal savagery - interweaving Christian choirs, the Jewish shofar horn and traditional Indian vocal samples into yet another outstanding offering from an unstoppable young band overflowing with ideas and confidence.