I enjoyed Cairdeas Fala, so I decided to check out Stu Callinan’s other band Sylvan Awe. They formed in 2015 and have so far put out two full-length albums: Offering and Transcend. Their music sounds similar to other atmospheric black metal bands, but through careful arrangement and combining various elements, it takes on a unique character.
Their first full-length, Offering, was recorded shortly after they formed. The production is rather clean yet still cold. It reminds me of several Cascadian black metal bands. The drums play everything from raging blast beats to intricate mid-paced passages full of rumbling double bass. The vocals are the strongest aspect. They mainly consist of a strong hoarse growl, but there are also plenty of times when he performs more traditional raspy black metal shouts. The guitars are also excellent. Aside from the usual tremolo riffs, they play a lot of simple chord progressions that have a bit of a haunting quality. They also throw in some punkish riffs and post-rock riffs for some extra variety.
The band’s most recent full-length, Transcend, places a much greater emphasis on atmosphere. This is made most apparent by the production, which has a colder but also more mystic quality. The drums play more aggressive blast beats and they throw in more complex fills, but they also play a larger number of simple slow-paced rhythms. The vocals now consist entirely of low-pitched rasps which remind me of various Eastern European black metal bands. The guitars have also taken on an Eastern European quality, especially the tremolo riffs. Subtle melodies are woven into the mid-paced chord progressions, and some of the riffs have a folkish feeling.
There were two songs on Transcend that really stood out to me. The first was “Overcome”. It speaks of how the modern world is like a corpse that has been reduced to bones, and how modern people are like rootless plants, as they have severed any and all connections to their ancestors. The band then channels Nietzsche and encourages the listener to overcome the mediocrity that dominates our world. The other outstanding song was the title track. It invokes Julius Evola by showing the spiritually bankrupt nature of the modern world and calling upon the listener to reach for the transcendent and ride the tiger of modernity until it dies of exhaustion.
Sylvan Awe is another amazing band that has that rare combination of musical talent and spiritual virility. Not only do they keep the spirit of true metal alive, they keep the spirit of their ancestors alive in this dark and decadent age. Their work reminds us that the golden age of Satya will return.