Aran - Pimeyttä vasten (2021)

As a relatively new band, Aran delivers some intense and lush Atmospheric Black Metal that many other bands wish could emulate. With “Pimeyttä vasten”, band mastermind Juhani K unleashes over 45 minutes of intense and captivating music. Filled with crushing harshness and dream-like atmospherics, this release is highly recommended for fans of bands like Lustre and Midnight Odyssey.

The release kicks off with the magical and enchanting atmospherics of “Valon Vienyt”, a track that has that vibe that Sci-Fi/Fantasy movies create of distant realms, perfectly paired with harsh Black Metal shrieks and crushing guitars. There is an art to creating versatile atmospheric BM, and Aran has it figured out with tracks like “Musta meri”, which start quite punishing and slowly evolve into more dreamy and ambient-ish territories.

For those more in the minimalist and ambient side, “Kadotetut” is a nice transition piece that showcases versatility as it starts building up to a devastating catharsis. The band is quite gifted in creating songs that are nicely structured and far from formulaic. Saving the best for last, “Uusi aamu” is our favorite track thanks to its piercingly emotional atmospherics paired with considerable melody and melancholy.

As a whole, “Pimeyttä vasten” is one powerful and well crafted release that never gets old or tries to copy anybody else. Focusing on raw aggression paired with sublime atmospherics, Aran has managed to craft one of our favorite Atmospheric BM releases of 2021. If you are looking to beef up your line-up of new bands in this genre, look no further and get a copy of this release.

Label: Naturmacht Productions

Release: September 3rd, 2021

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Finland