Räum are a Belgian black metal band and this is their second album.
Following on from 2023’s Cursed by the Crown comes the 44-minute Emperor of the Sun. This new record builds on Räum’s past achievements, making for a very enjoyable slice of modern black metal.
The music of Emperor of the Sun is well-crafted and impactful. It’s a compelling mix of melody, atmosphere, and intensity, executed skilfully and passionately by the band. Emperor of the Sun is an easy album to enjoy because of this, and has enough layers and details to survive multiple visits intact and well.
Räum have taken a confident leap forward with Emperor of the Sun. The songs are tighter and shorter, while the effectiveness of the compositions has increased. Cold blackened fury and molten melodic fire are focused in the service of aggressive atmospheric hostility. It’s a feast of melancholic moods, as told through a lens of black metal darkness. Undeniably atmospheric, this atmosphere is born from icy riffs and fiery melodies; Räum are a band that deliver presence through raw ferocity and textured violence.
Emperor of the Sun is scathingly harsh, and its extremity is engaging throughout. Woven through and around this core of blazing aggression are nuances and textures that bring the music to life. Räum offer more than just brutal black metal, delivering a well-written album that immerses as much as it destroys. You can tell that a lot of work has gone into Emperor of the Sun, and the results speak for themselves.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 