Hail, you shadow-dwelling fiends of the Black Metal Archives- Sean here, and tonight we’re plunging into the bleak corridors of an Italian/Switzerland blend of black metal with Amthrÿa’s 2022 full-length, Passage. This is a record that doesn’t just walk through darkness drags you, kicking and screaming, through every frostbitten corner of its haunted landscape.
Amthrÿa’s Passage is a seven-track journey that fuses atmospheric black metal with a distinctly melodic edge. The album opens with “A New Trace,” setting the tone with icy tremolo riffs, pounding drums, and tortured vocals that echo like a spirit lost in the void. The production is raw but immersive: guitars shimmer and snarl, drums cut through the haze, and the bass rumbles beneath it all, anchoring the chaos. There’s a palpable sense of melancholy throughout, but Amthrÿa never lets the mood slip into monotony track brings its own flavor of despair.
Let’s take a closer look at the tracks!
- “Dreads in Tears” and “Frozen October” showcase Amthrÿa’s ability to blend aggression with atmosphere, layering melodic leads over relentless percussion.
- “Thorns of Shame” and “The Flow” slow things down, weaving haunting melodies and clean guitar passages into the blackened tapestry.
- “Monochromatic” stands out for its dynamic shifts, moving from blastbeat-driven fury to moments of near-ambient introspection.
- The closing track, “Passage,” bookends the album with a sense of cyclical despair, leaving the listener suspended in the album’s bleak universe.
The band has been active since 2007, honing their craft in the shadows before unleashing Passage in late 2022. The lyrics and song titles evoke themes of isolation, sorrow, and existential dread, but there’s also a sense of catharsis-a passage through suffering, not just a wallowing in it.
Passage is a strong statement from Amthrÿa-raw, melodic, and emotionally resonant. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it doesn’t need to; this is black metal that knows its roots and isn’t afraid to bleed for them. For fans of atmospheric and melodic black metal with a melancholic bite, this is a passage worth taking.
Crank it loud, let the sorrow wash over you, and tell me- did Passage drag you under, or did you find your own way through the darkness?
RATING: 3 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0: Fucking Shit
- 1: Shit
- 2: Not Bad Shit
- 3: Pretty Good Shit
- 4: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
