Photo courtesy of Prophecy
When your metal band takes its name from the brightest star visible to the Northern Hemisphere, there’s not a whole lot of uncertainty regarding the level of “epic grandeur” your music will evoke. Norwegian black metal collective Arcturus have more than earned the description since its inception back in 1991, and though they often cop the "supergroup" label, Arcturus' musical identity has been a remarkable digression from its individual member’s other projects and long proven itself to be much more than another all spectacle/no substance metal band.Ten years after their pre-breakup Sideshow Symphonies release, the band has returned with a new album, Arcturian. Yes, it’s epic. Yes, there are a fuckton of keyboards and chorus hooks that could soundtrack the next four-hour-long film featuring elves, dragons, and potions, but make no mistake—the album’s ten tracks aren’t your typical symphonic black metal venture into theatric wankery. Primary vocalist ICS Vortex (a.k.a. Simen Hestnæs) whose ten-year stint in Dimmu Borgir no doubt offered a wealth of understanding and development concerning the kind of musical framework necessary to carry the weight and magnitude of the presentation.Alongside bandmates like drummer Hellhammer (Mayhem), guitarist/keyboardist Møllarn (ex-Ulver), bassist Skøll (ex-Ulver), and guitarist/keyboardist Sverd (ex-Covenant, Mortem), Vortex’s vocals have ample space in which to unleash the sky dwelling enormity that’s utterly essential to anything with the Arcturus logo plastered on the front. The multi-layered falsetto vocal tracking, interweaving keyboards, and lyrics alone are overwrought but it’s the kind of overwrought you want from Arcturus. When it comes to embracing the oftentimes more theatrical angle of metal, you’re not likely to find a better starting point than here. It’s just bugfuck bananas enough to remain in its own special little corner of the genre, but it’s also remarkably accessible in its execution to the point that even if horned masks, ancient astrology, and corpse paint aren’t you’re thing, the music itself is more than enough to keep you listening.“Game Over” is one of the album’s finest examples of the band’s return to the unhinged musical elaboration of releases like 1997’s La Masquerade Infernale. Beginning with an ominous synth line working in tandem with the razor sharp rhythmic prowess of Hellhammer, the song wastes no time in getting to the full blown spiral out into the atmosphere of its six minutes. Listen below and see if you don’t start instinctively trying to setup a Skyrim account even if you’ve never even heard of Skyrim before.'Arcturian' is out May 8 via Prophecy Productions.Jonathan Dick is keeping Twitter weird - @jonathan_k_dick
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