Afsky – Sorg (Review)

Afsky is a one man black metal band from Denmark and this is his debut album.

Although principally a solo act, the artist behind Afsky did bring in many session musicians for the creation of this album, (including Myrkur who brings not only her musical skills to the band, but also her always impressive vocals at the end of the last song). These help to flesh out the album fully, and add additional touches to the songs here and there. For example; in addition to the normal instruments you would expect on your standard black metal release, we also get some more exotic, folk-influenced ones on occasion.

Sorg is raw and melancholic, with Afsky’s approach to black metal being one that mixes in elements of depressive, folk, and doom, although black metal’s second wave is the prime influence here.

These songs combine aggression with bleak atmosphere in just the right ways, and the album is a strong release full of underground black metal with a keen emotive edge. Well-written, and with good pacing and flow, the music displays a skilled performance that’s equally at home with light reflective introspection, mid-paced depressive groove, raw blasting assaults, or any number of other modes of delivery.

Esoteric melodies are spawned from the blackened rhythms of the songs like discarded malevolent entities, only to be reabsorbed as they outlive their usefulness. The singer’s sharp, scathing screams sound like they’re dripping with acid. The production is perfectly judged, balancing a raw blackened aesthetic with a clarity and precision that’s most welcome. The entire overall package of Sorg is comprehensively realised and delivered with passion and talent. This is, basically, an extremely satisfying 48 minutes of black metal.

Highly engaging and effortlessly enjoyable, this should be a priority for any fan of the underground black metal arts.