Scarcity are a black metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Consisting of one 47-minute song, (which is divided into five tracks), Aveilut is an experimental black metal journey into the expansive and creative vision of Scarcity, (who contain a member of Pyrrhon/Seputus handling vocals).
The promo references bands such as Jute Gyte, Krallice, and Mare Cognitum, and if you throw in a drone influence, this roughly sets the scene for approaching Aveilut.
The music is intricate, dissonant, and technical, but without becoming soulless. As a meditation on death and absence it’s a dark work that’s textured with all manner of sinister moods, tense soundscapes, and esoteric expressions. It’s deeply atmospheric in an unnerving way, but not without its violent and aggressive tendencies either. Minimalistic, but never sparse, the music is rich in emotive presence and achieves a great deal through intelligent application of the right sounds at the right moments.
The music has a hypnotic quality to it that draws you in and holds you close, wrapping you in dense layers of sound and keeping you engaged. It’s the sort of effect that the best drone has, (Nadja, for example), and Scarcity craft their multifaceted music with the same approach; Aveilut is a tapestry of blackened intensity and mood designed to enthral and immerse, which it does with commendable ease.
Each of the five movements on this release has its own identity that nonetheless feeds into the whole. I can see why the band have cut them up into separate tracks, but I think I’d still prefer a release like this to be presented as one long piece. Still, this is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things; what matters here is the quality of the music, and this is very high.
Aveilut is a striking piece of work that offers an atypical exploration of extreme metal sounds. Immersive and compelling, Scarcity have produced an album that has made a strong impression.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 