High in the Alps you can find a country that seems to have a sheer endless supply of good Black-Metal bands - Aara is one of them.
Decades ago it was normal for bands to release at least one record a year. Nowadays that is rather unusual so that if a band comes along and is able to publish two good records within one year’s time this should be noted as is the case with Switzerland’s black metal hopefuls Aara. In 2019 they published their acclaimed debut full-length So Fallen alle Tempel and now they are back with En Ergo Einai – and in between these two full-lengths they were even able to release a one-track single called Anthropozän (also one Debemur Morti)!
But not only Aara’s output rate is impressive but also its quality, “En Ergo Einai” is another good example of modern atmospheric black metal. If anybody asks you in twenty years “what was the state of the art in black metal back in 2020?” - you can just simply use Aara’s second full-length to exemplify your answer. Melodic vocals, often using ethereal backing chants in order to purvey some kind of community event also called ritual. The guitar work is on point as the riffs are heavy but clear, the tornado is still a tornado but now you can see the whirling circles of the houses uprooted and pulled towards the deathly heavens. The drumming is able to hunt down each soul in its proximity and then give it a rest by gently padding it on the shoulder as if to say “don’t worry, all will be well, soon. (when this is over.)” And in the middle of all of this there is even a bigger idea behind it all:
The duo consisting of the anonymous members vocalist Fluss (“River”) and the instrumentalist Berg (“Mountain”) was inspired by the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century and the idea of mankind stepping out of its not-knowing, refraining from its omnipresent. Alas, Aara’s notion of the Enlightenment is not a merely positive one because to them, mankind’s strife for a better world is a lost cause as perfection cannot be found and thus this search is a futile one.
Thus, we see – modern black metal fans must not fear (for fear is futile), Aara will keep your ears busy and your minds open for new thoughts and perspectives. Hopefully, with another good release next year!
