Amiensus - Reclamation: Part II (2024)

Hailing from the USA, Progressive Black Metal outfit Amiensus returns with part II of their “Reclamation” saga. Released a few months back, part I showcased the band’s excellent musicianship and creativity, and with part II, the band continues to unleash superbly crafty and engaging songs with elements from bands like Enslaved, Agalloch, alongside their distinctive vocal onslaughts.

Opening with “Sólfarið”, we get a pretty intense track that slowly builds up to a hectic cathartic closing, instantly reminding us of the proggy-ness of Enslaved alongside the band’s diverse vocal onslaught. After making an impression with the opener, “Acquiescence” has more of an Agalloch dreamy opening that quickly expands to heavy riffs, pummeling drumming, and hellish harsh vocals. The band expertly mixes slower and dreamy passages with some pretty engaging blistering sections that weave back and forth different moods and tempos.

A solid dose of melody and melancholy make tracks like “Decaying God Child” quite memorable, and others like “The Distance” have that Borknagar-esque epicness. Interestingly enough this last track has Lars Nedland on guest vocals, adding range to the band’s already expansive sound. Never featuring a dull moment, “Leprosarium” and “Orb of Vanishing Light” perfectly round up the release with waves of powerful guitars, intense drumming, harsh screams, all wrapped around subtle and yet powerful atmospheric elements.

Overall, this part 2 closes off the “Reclamation” era of Amiensus and we are even more psyched than before with their excellent creativity and songwriting abilities. It is hard to always continue to improve and expand a band’s sound, but Amiensus makes it look easy while cranking out seven excellent tracks that up the ante for the band. If you like crafty Progressive Black Metal with a good dose of melody, do not sleep on this one.

Label: M-Theory Audio

Release: August 30th, 2024

Genre: Progressive Black Metal

Country: USA