Sojourner - Premonitions (2020)

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Delivering one of the most magical and atmospheric Black/Folk Metal releases of 2020, today we have Sojourner and their third full-length release “Premonitions”. Featuring over 55 minutes of masterfully crafted emotional music, this release explores tons of textures and tempos to create one very cohesive and lush aural journey. If you are into bands like Saor, Winterfylleth, etc. but always wanted a folkier and even Gothic/Doomy vibe infused with them, you are in luck with this release.

The release leads off with the dramatic atmospherics of “The Monolith”, a track that delivers both aggressive guitars and lush atmospheric arrangements, perfectly led by the charming clean vocals of Chloe Bray and contrasted by the harsh screams of Emilio Crespo. The female vocals at points sound like Amy Lee, but they are enchanting in their own right as they perfectly capitulate the very elaborate atmospheric components the band lays down with their mixture of rich keyboards and additional elements like a Tin whistle.

We are particularly enthralled by the band’s very melancholic sound, as tracks like “Eulogy for the Lost” and “The Apocalyptic Theater” demonstrate. We are a bit reminded of The Sins of Thy Beloved’s rich melodramatic textures with a heavier layer of complex guitars and brilliant tempo changes. All songs are quite unique as they convey different sides to the band’s dynamic sound, being the folky “Fatal Frame” or the crushingly Doomy “The Deluge”, our favorite track in this release thanks to its brutal guitar leads.

Just oozing dramatic atmospherics, the release closes with the lavish “Atonement” and the harshness of “The Event Horizon”. Is “Premonitions” a folk metal release? Is it Black Metal? Is it Doom? It actually is a perfect blend of everything unlike anything we have heard before and we love it. With everything labeled as Atmospheric Black Metal these days, we were quite skeptical about this release, but after the first magical song, you will be hooked into the band’s superbly rich sound and brilliant execution.

Band: Sojourner Album: Premonitions

Label: Napalm Records

Release: May 8th, 2020

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Genre: Atmospheric Folk/Black/Doom Metal

Country: Austria

Rating: 93/100
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