I originally posted this on the (sadly now defunct) blog Oculus Infernus.
In the language of the Hindus, the word “akasha” means aether, or the void between worlds. I travel through the “akasha” regularly, searching high and low for extreme metal bands of high caliber. My journey often leads to dead ends, but I eventually came across a blackened death metal band named Sauriel who come from Thoreau's home state of Massachusetts. Coincidentally enough, their latest EP is named “Akasha”. I retreated back to the “akasha” to listen to “Akasha”, and I floated there mesmerized as I beheld the unbridled fury of ten thousand newborn stars.
Far too many metal bands sing of Satan, death, destruction, and nothing else. These bands are either too cowardly or too foolish to venture beyond the walls they themselves have built. Sauriel is not restrained by the irrational fear of trying something different, for they sing praise of the stars. They are also quite fearless when it comes to musical composition. They play blackened death metal, which is a path well-tread. However, they intersperse this with slow, jazz-like sections that bring forth eloquent riffs, as can be heard on songs like 'Astral Crown'. There are also times when they include deathcore passages, such as on 'Ritualistic Circles'. Some of my contemporaries may howl at the notion of including deathcore, but to me, it does not diminish the quality of the music at all.
As for the blackened death metal itself, it is fantastically constructed. Unlike many other bands, the bass stands tall and clear like a blue giant among red dwarves. The drums do their job admirably, blasting forth jets of percussive energy like a mad pulsar. However, I do wish the double bass wasn't so triggered. The vocals exhibit many diverse styles ranging from hardcore shouts to death metal growls, and there is even this one moment on 'The Architect' where they perform clean vocals. As with the bass and drums, they are all brilliantly performed, but as with the inclusion of deathcore passages, some might regard including clean vocals on a record such as this as blasphemy, but I quite like it.
The best player in this stellar display would have to be the guitar. In the foreground are the powerful death metal rhythms, but they are tuned in a fashion more akin to black metal. What's also interesting is that some of these riffs have some form of groove to them. Like the stars themselves, there are times when their activity is more restrained and reserved only to later be launched forth in a ravenous flurry of solar flares. The crescendo of blackened death metal ferocity builds and builds until it finally culminates in a blazing solo that is both marvelous and deadly.
As I said earlier, far too many bands in the metal world are afraid to experiment. Sauriel does not have this fear. They take a few unorthodox elements, swirl them together like a cloud of hydrogen, dust, and other disparate building blocks, and find out that they work well together. Listening to this album is like bearing witness to the births of thousands of new stars deep inside the shroud of the Orion Nebula. You are bombarded by powerful colors from blue to yellow to red emanated by stars both large and small. The flaming hands brush across your face, their light engulfs the entirety of your vision. The experience is truly invigorating. The “akasha” hides something truly wonderful within its dark maze, doesn't it?
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