Aran - Maahan laskettu (2024)

Unleashing the perfect mixture of harsh rawness with lush atmospherics, today we have one-man Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Aran, with their latest opus “Maahan laskettu”. Delivering five tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, this band reminds us of a mixture of early Empyrium meets Horna. The mixture of styles creates a very powerful amalgamation of beauty and darkness.

Things start on a high note with the piercing “Hiljaisuus” and its journey between harsh Black Metal onslaught between atmospheric keyboards and some nice slower Doom influences. The track nicely weaves back and forth between different moods, creating a very powerful experience that perfectly bleeds into the melancholic opening of “Poltettu maa”. Full of cathartic moments, this track gives us some nice Luster/Midnight Odyssey vibes.

After breaking up the flow with the futuristic “Pinnan Alta”, things take a turn to the more dramatic and slower burn pace of “Päättymätön Aika”. We particularly love how this outfit plays around with different tempos, while still delivering chilling BM riffs and a few additional surprises. Our favorite track has to be the tour-de-force closer “Viimeisiin vesiin” and its 14-minutes of superbly dramatic and quite lush atmospherics.

Overall, “Maahan laskettu” is one of those truly unique releases filled with atmosphere and bone-chilling rawness. Thanks to its production, the keyboards create magical soundscapes that are never drowned by the aggressive guitars and vocals, providing a very balanced and direct take on the genre. If you like the atmospheric elements of bands from the late 90’s and early 2000’s, this release has that little retro edge that will make you fall in love with it.

Label: Naturmacht Productions

Release: June 28th, 2024

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Finland