Asken av Verden / Amargor (2022)

Review originally written for Black Metal Daily

Alongside the Basque Country, Catalonia has to be one of the Spanish autonomous regions that suffered the most during the Spanish Civil War. Even after the war was over, and Franco’s regime was (unofficially) over, Catalonians were always seen as different, outcasts, a bit like the Basques. An endless suffering for standing up for what they believed was right… go figure Human nature. Two regions that fought Fascism in a way that very little did, and suffered in equal measure. But, what does the Spanish Civil War have to do with Black Metal? The Revolutionary Forces were witty and fiercely; designed plans to overcome the powerful Franco's forces; Catalonian Black Metal musicians – and the ones associated with Hardcore and Punk – are ferocious creators of Art, a living, breathing, powerful machine. It might sound a bit odd, I am aware, but these last years have shown how much of a force these lads truly are. Against all, they stand tall…

The Catalonian music scene, Hardcore Punk and Black Metal in specific, have grown immensely in the last few years, or I did arrive late to the party and am only getting to it now… better late than never, right? But we are today to speak about a Catalonian act, a Catalonian artist that has been around for a while, summoned many demons, and gifted us with plenty of exquisite – and singular – Black Metal. Allow me to point out the ones that I consider to be truly au point: Herald ov Wizborg, Nocturnal Tyrant, Vampyric Winter, Manel “Woodcutter” was also in Morta. The 2020 EP, “Fúnebre”, by Morta, is outstanding. Along with Amargor we have Asken av Verden (The Ashes of the World). A one-man project from Girona… Catalonia. Hanten Kurosu, the mastermind behind this entity – and many others – originally created the project back in 2014, at the age of 15, and is know going shoulder to shoulder with a musician as Manel. What a leap.

Musically speaking, it is Black Metal, no doubt about it. It is a harsh discharge of power and aggressiveness; I will tell you that. Rage and frustration leek from the man’s essence, which he materializes into music. It has a slow-paced structure; the vocals are raw and chaotic. Screams of pain, screams of hate. Cuts to eerie interludes that fit pretty well with the overall tune. The funny thing is that melodies are hidden beneath the “noise”, under the rubble left from the destruction. I can find some points of interest, but it is hard to connect to the music. As said before: there is too much chaos for my ability to absorb and enjoy.

Amargor’s half is slightly different. I genuinely enjoy the man’s work. No, I do not know him, so this will never be a “sucking up” sort of review. But yes, I honestly like what he does, and how honest he seems to be, and not that Hanten isn’t, of course. Music-wise, Amargor lives within the sphere of Black Metal with a tendency for the Depressive and Suicidal side of the genre. Not blatantly as the bigger names of the sub-genre, but we can sense a slow, heavy, sad, pace to the music. This is not DSBM 101, but we all agree that the sub-genre breathes sadness and slow riffs. Less chaotic, less “destructive”, more emotional. The man does hit you, here and there, but he mostly drags you down, punishes your emotions, more than your body (that is Hanten’s assignment). More than throwing all at you, he gradually feeds you, one bit at a time. Argh… delightfully oppressive.

Overall, the 2 projects complement each other. How? You are presented with 2 sides of Human existence: violence VS despair. I might be engaging into dangerous territories, by trying to analyze, at this level, the artists’ work, but the Music radiates these burning rays of Darkness, and one has to observe, and assimilate…

Asken av Verden Official Bandcamp

Amargor Official Bandcamp