Astarium – Invasion to Forbidden (2011)

As we all know most one-man bands suck, with a very few exceptions they are just outlets for untalented people to produce what they call ‘music’. Going with this notion, I was gladly surprised by the quality of Astarium’s music, a one-man band from Novosibirsk, Russia. Getting strange looking envelopes from far away places in the world is one of the thrills of working for Infernal Masquerade and this time, the envelope also delivers good music (something that is not the case at least 50% of the time).

“Invasion to Forbidden” is the latest EP from this Symphonic/Atmospheric Black Metal band that while not having the best sound quality or musical equipment, it can surely create a eerie atmosphere and deliver 16 minutes of creepy as shit Black Metal.

Opening with the EP title track, the dark and creepy atmosphere is nicely set with sounds of the woods paired with a distorted guitar and some chilling keyboard arrangements. This quickly reminded us of the very early releases of Limbonic Art. The drums are definitely fake but not sound as bad as the majority of fake drums we’ve heard recently. In a very simple way, Astarium crafts a very effective song that does not require much flair or over the top arrangements to be creepy.

The second track keeps the ‘cinematic’ experiences going with its intro, and the keyboards set the atmosphere very nicely again with their simplicity-yet-eeriness. In this track we have more all-out Black Metal sections with ‘blast-beats’ and harsher screams. SiN’s vocals might not be the best and sound a bit distorted in the mix (probably on purpose), but they fit perfectly with the decadent sound of the songs. The purely instrumental closing track “Hermodr A Helferd” is a cover of one of Burzum’s
‘Experimental stage’ tracks from the “Daudi Baldrs” album. While Burzum’s track has better sound, Astarium’s version fit’s well with the band’s sound in this EP.

Overall, “Invasion to Forbidden” is a pretty solid EP from Astarium. While we don’t have all the bells and whistles of a ‘big money’ production, this release is actually quite entertaining and interesting to listen to. The fact that Astarium does not abuse the ‘rawness’ of their sound is excellent since it focuses more on the atmospheric/symphonic aspects of the music and creates a better listening experience. Limited to 50 hand-numbered copies, you should definetly get a copy of this release.

Release: 2011

Country: Russia