`Remnants of Forgotten Horrors’ is a remarkably apt name for this, the debut album of Swedish band Astrophobos (named after an H.P. Lovecraft poem). This album absolutely and totally harks back to a time when this youthful band were probably still in nappies; the melodic Swedish black metal explosion of the mid 90’s, which for some of us more `seasoned’ (wrinkly) metal fans only seems like yesterday.
To be honest, it is indeed a while since I’ve heard this type thing. Sometimes a revivalist band can make a few eyes roll, get the tongues of old metal fans tutting furiously and prompt cries of `I’ve heard it ALL before!’. So, zero out of ten for originality. However, in this instance, these guys have really done the genre justice, and it is indeed refreshing to hear this type of metal done so well after all this time, at least to these grizzled ears. I was there when this Swedish answer to the Norwegian Black Metal insanity began to take form, and to be honest there were only a handful of bands that ever did this brilliantly; followed by an increasingly uninspired mass of second and third rate groups, who drowned in waves of bland, over-melodic, flat-packed, factory produced riffs.
I digress. Astrophobos have absolutely hit the nail on the head with their sound and song writing abilities. The songs are epic, powerful and intense, really taking you on a dark and hellish journey. They don’t rush things, nor do they cram in a million forgettable riffs into each song; instead they concentrate on creating that grim, over-powering freezing cold, dark and huge atmosphere, just like the classic bands did back in the mid 90’s. Definitely think Dissection, Naglfar and Setherial.
The melodies are never sickly sweet, but perform that great balancing act which brings forth visions of dark, frozen, hellish, vast landscapes (or at least that is always the effect they have on me). For me personally, this is a fantastic nostalgia trip for a period and genre that I had forgotten was nearly twenty years ago, and reminds me of all the things I really liked about that Swedish scene. I distinctly remember the feeling I got when I heard `The Somberlain’ for the very first time; this brings back a few stirrings of the same sort…
As said before, original it isn’t. It has indeed been done before, some bands did it brilliantly, many did it in a disappointing, lacklustre way. Astrophobos have done it in a way which really pays homage to the greats of this genre, and demonstrates that they have plenty of talent of their own.
(8/10 Jon Butlin)
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