Black Vinyl
Since their first demo in 2017 on the respected Kuunvalvpelus label, Finland’s STARCAVE have patiently created a new corner of their homeland’s rich history of black metal. For good reason, GOATOWAREX allied with the band for the release of their A Common Beast 7” EP in 2019 and then Final Sins debut album the following year. Aptly monikered, STARCAVE’s refined sound recalls the emotive desolation of ‘90s Forgotten Woods or indeed a notorious Norwegian before his imprisonment, but need only look at vocalist Saggitariuz’s past work in the pivotal Cosmic Church (or the oft-overlooked Aura Saturnal) to see that the duo are continuing the monolithic mysticism that band ushered forth in Finland. However, one Jinnhorn handles all instruments here, so it could be said that STARCAVE is its own muse altogether rather than any continuation of said lineage: Astral Projection Black Metal. And they prove it with ever more poignancy on their second album, Sukta. Whereas Final Sins pulsed slowly with a tar-thick crunge not unlike Vritra’s mini-classic Deinde Signum Mortifera (reissued by GOATOWAREX on vinyl), on Sukta do STARCAVE go in a ghostlier direction that only serves to heighten their already-superlative mysticism and emotion. That stripping back of the tar, if you will, reveals beautiful-but-bittersweet melodies that penetrate deeper into the soul, all wrapped in a soundfield that’s somehow rawer and yet more regal. Likewise, the duo pick up the pace more often; the stately march that earmarked the first album remains in some measure, but Sukta’s five songs are even more generous than Final Sin’s and therefore cover more territory rather than a bewitching hypnosis. Which isn’t to say that STARCAVE here aren’t as hypnotizing as ever – it’s just that their sonic-cum-cosmic landscape’s become lyrical and narrative, that their movement across it has more to tell the listener. And with ever-so-subtle synths instilling a unique dreaminess, Sukta solidifies its position as STARCAVE’s greatest work to date.
Astral projection black metal at the highest possible caliber, features member from Circle of Ouroboros and Cosmic Church.