DARK MILLENNIUM - Ashore The Celestial Burden (12" LP on Blue Vinyl)
Germany | Progressive/Death/Doom
Detailed Description
The real magic of Ashore the Celestial Burden lies in its near-perfect songwriting craft that's full of unexpected maneuvers and atmospheric brilliance. The first two songs consist of whirlwind-y riffing and present the more furious side of the record, yet it doesn't take long before the band's true nature gets revealed. ''Black Literature'' sees Dark Millennium dances the strangest dance, yet from the doom-laden opening to the venomous chorus shouts, each move made still manages to make perfect sense. At its most progressive, the band comes up with the most pleasant surprise, be it a tasty flamenco guitar passage between the violent riff-craft in ''Inside the Sunburnt Thoughts of Frost'' or an ambient-break in the aptly titled ''The Atmosphere''. The latter overwhelmingly opens up with an ominous riff setting the tone of the track and while it doesn't dominantly overpower the listener with full fury and force, it's nonetheless the most emotionally provocative and exhausting song you'll find here; as if listening too often to this track in the wrong state of mind would make you question your own existence with all the negative consequences to boot. Even at its most referential Ashore the Celestial Burden seems to refer to some rather unexpected sources. Take the contrastive freak show of ''Beyond the Dragon's Eye'' for instance - which partially sounds as if you'd stumble upon Soulside Journey-era Darkthrone's progressive death metal riffs in a more avant-garde setting.
