This is the latest EP from Australian black metallers Atra Vetosus.
We haven’t heard from Atra Vetosus since 2018’s Apricity, so I’m happy to have a new release from them. On Even the Dawn No Longer Brings Hope the band mix elements of melodic, depressive, atmospheric, and post-black metal together into a very satisfying and well-crafted 23 minutes of material.
Azure; Frozen begins slowly, gathering itself via rich synths and luscious piano for a few minutes before exploding into vibrant melody and scathing blackened aggression. I particularly enjoy the winding melodies and clean singing near/after the 8ish-minute mark. The song keeps up a furious pace for the most part, only relaxing its grip on the reins near the end, when the keyboards take us out once more. As 11-minute openers go, this is a strong one.
The second track lasts nearly 10 minutes and is called Hallowed Sky. It’s a song that is simultaneously darker and brighter than the preceding track; it has a shiny, melodic veneer that’s powerfully delivered, yet seems to have a grim underbelly that speaks directly to the infernal majesty of black metal’s past glory days. Combined, it makes for a very compelling song indeed. I’d also say that the atmospheric highs are higher here too, which helps the music build to a wonderful finale. Top stuff.
The final song is Silver Starfall, a 2-minute instrumental closing piece that’s pleasant enough.
From what I can tell, Even the Dawn No Longer Brings Hope is meant as a sort of end of chapter release for what has come before it, with the band’s next album having a change of direction of some kind. If true, its certainly intriguing. Either way, I look forward to what Atra Vetosus do next, as they haven’t disappointed me yet.
Until then, make sure you check out Even the Dawn No Longer Brings Hope.
