(Ambient Black/Neoclassical) Bann - Aschatologia - 2009, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Another fine CD release by the british label Grief Foundation. I'm talking about the latest full length from Bann, a german progressive and technical black metal act. OK then, lets talk about their latest offering "Aschatologia".
First things first, the CD is housed in a beautiful digipack, eye-catching and yet distinctive as the music it holds: extremely serene, yet crude, orchestral and progressive black metal with very theatrical vocals. That can be a very brief description about Bann but this band is a lot more! With a rapid thought the first minutes of the CD easily reminded me of early works from bands like My Dying Bride or even early Anathema, this mainly due to the amazing violin which takes quite a big part in Bann's music, equally big as the guitar and the keyboards. Serene segments, however some minutes later all this serenity transforms into the classic, strict and (true) fast symphonic black metal, only to change a bit latter again, into something more progressive and again into something crude but yet melodic, and so on. "Aschatologia" is a vast technical achievement, unleashed from an act who's roots go deep into a more "cultural" (if I may say so) aspect of black metal, and most importantly aeons away from other "big" "symphonic" or "progressive" black metal garbage floating in the sea of current or past blackness. Not at all, Bann is a very intence, powerful, solid structured conception, dressed with all sorts of different elements making it huge! Elements like hypnotic or choral female vocals, etherial keyboards, piano, painfuly beautiful violin, planty of vocal variations, infernal and hyper-technical guitar solos, extremely well played music with plenty of ideas and most of all, epic atmosphere and nobility. Things are yet to explode more with the quality of an amazing production. An or THE absolute treat to all those enjoying this kind of sound; alas, I needed that, we needed that!
As the time passes I'm floating to the Bann's vortex, this CD is endless and magical, is beyond what somebody can say in a review, and it reminds me those heroic yet serene times back in early 1990's, times where we were constantly attacked by the likes of Paradise Lost, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Agalloch etc, that's the main feeling I get from this album, but with "Aschatologia" we also have some really intence Darkthrone-like outbursts of exploding mania, the exact oposite of the forthmentioned serenity. All these done extremely well. The real problem with many "progressive" or "symphonic" or technical black or death metal acts is that eventually (or from the begining) they become "plastic", fake and intentional. They become Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir type of disgrace, and this sub-genre is indeed infested with such kind of trash but Bann's superiority overcomes this gap in seconds. They are the purest example of how a true "symphonic black metal" band should be. How quality, melody, skills and knoledge of music can be combined together forming an exceptional piece of artistic outcome. Fear not though, you can forget "hollywood" symphonic black metal, forget fake, consumer-friendly music, I'm talking about a polymorhic, melodic, harsh and yet serene, psychedelic, symphonic, violin-driven, depressing, dreamy masterpiece which will be a fuckin' classic. I salut them!
(c) Encyclopaedia Metallum