The Path Untravelled

Arx Atrata is brand new to me, but a listen to The Path Untravelled, the project's latest full-length, reveals nature-tinged British ABM along the lines of Saor. It's not quite as pretty and wistful as efforts from that band, but there are plenty of drawn-out, emotional strains and slow beats to put the listener in the proper mood. The emotion of The Path Untravelled has a solid core of black metal riffing dominated by the guitars; the synths have a role to play, never getting to fully take over. And unlike many of the limp throwaways that litter this genre, the tunes never get hamstrung by acoustic noodling. They don't have quite the epic level that Imperium Decadenz is known for, but it wouldn't be entirely inappropriate to compare them to the music of that band. Multi-instrumentalist Ben Sizer puts a lot of effort into buildups to thunderous crescendos, only to move to soft acoustic interludes. And his shrill lead guitar work harmonizes well with the breezy flute (or is it an ocarina?) that fades in and out of all the tracks, giving the sound a sense of echoing distance. The greatest weakness of The Path Untravelled is the fact that so many others have done this kind of thing that it runs the risk of falling through the cracks. It doesn't stand out in the crowd of good-quality ABM and post-black albums that fill places like Bandcamp, but it's still well-made and worth a listen for those who prefer their listening to be a long, meandering sonic journey.