Aara - Eiger (2024)^{Release ID: 56642}

I suppose that comparisons with Darkspace are par for the course with Aara. Two atmospheric black metal bands, both from Switzerland and both rather good at what they do. Although the ambient streak that runs through Darkspace material is perhaps not as prevalent in the sound of their fellow Swiss counterparts. There is possibly a straighter line to be drawn to Mare Cognitum in all honesty. At least to my ear also. Whatever comparison you want to draw, Aara makes atmospheric, melodic and very enduring black metal on Eiger. The enduring nature of the sound feels like a sound representation of the tragic story of one climb undertaken by a handful of individuals that resulted in significant loss of life on the mountain. The Eiger is a mountain that has claimed multiple lives over the years. Those brave enough to try and take on not only its perilous climbing height but also avalanches, treacherous weather and of course freezing temperatures have certainly helped it live up to its nickname of “Murder Wall”.

The freezing cold represented on the album resonates with a crystal-clear hue out of the melodic and poignant notes of the riffs. The blizzard like conditions is summarised wonderfully in the blitz of drums and guitar and the harsh environment could not be better represented overall by those scathing vocals. One of the main successes of Eiger is that despite all this multitude of metaphors, a listener can easily still hear the storytelling as it narrates. The swarming guitars of ‘Felsensang’ suggests the fingering stealth of icy flakes of snow, jabbing at the faces of the mountaineers as they make their way along this imperilled journey. Unafraid to bring a folk-tinged element to the strings at times, Aara are at home in all tempos it seems here. They can have quite forthright drums with the most subtle of guitar strings atop of them and still make it all sound cohesive.

Given the dark outcome of the story here, there are a lot of hopeful and positive sounding moments in play across the record. As such, the songs feel very human. To me they capture a lot of the determination of those who did try and reach the top (five turned back and the remaining four were killed in trying to complete the ascent) as well as leaving the listener in no doubt of the dangers in front of them at any given moment. The songwriting here is so well balanced that it is difficult not marvel at it. It seeks to remind us I think, that regardless of the respect the album affords to the mountain itself, ultimately this is a story of human endeavour.

This has been my first Aara record, and what a place to start. From reading other reviews, this is a break from what is usually a more gothic-themed storytelling, which would also be right up my alley and so I do plan to build on this positive experience by exploring more of the discography. Meanwhile, Eiger is a mature piece of black metal delivered with a level of melody that often eclipses its atmospheric promise. Yet this is by no means a bad thing.

Eiger is in reference to a specific mountain found in the Bernese Alps. Aara are using this mountain as the basis for their album since it is one of the most treacherous inclines on the planet. At least 64 climbers have attempted to climb to its peak, and have been unable to return to tell the tale; the perfect backdrop for a Nordic atmospheric black metal project!

Aara have been producing records on an annual basis since 2019 (which is very impressive) and Eiger is kind of a change of pace for them. Aara's previous releases have told recollections of gothic literature, so this move towards real life events might be strange. And that can be heard in the vocal presentation. I do know a little German from my second language course in University, however I haven't used that language in quite some time, so the finer details in the words were a little hard to dissect. But in general, the vocals of this album are pretty barebones. Not that I expect a life changing storytelling experience out of a black metal album, but they do feel rather dry.

But when the vocals are so inconsequential to the performance, it allows for those gorgeous instrumentals to take center stage. When those blast beats and thundering guitars enter the mix you can feel the weight of two avalanches suppressing you. While the guitar leads lead you on an almost ethereal journey. The key to making Eiger so good is the songwriting. When the album is ferocious, it's as pulverizing as any modern black metal record. But when then album brings in those acoustic guitars for outros, intros and bridges, they bring another layer to this already cold tale. Something about their unaccompanied texture is just so isolating and awesome and give the listener a moment of respite before the inevitable return of the black metal textures of before. They almost remind me a little bit of Saor's Forgotten Paths from 2019 and that's high praise.

Unfortunately for Aara, they don't really seem to be doing much else with the atmospheric black metal sound on Eiger. Yeah it's a fantastic albums filled with highs and lows, some of the prettiest sounding melodies in black metal since Sunbather, and a solid backdrop for a concept album. But they don't reinvent the wheel. Perhaps Aara does not need to reinvent the wheel, since they are too busy releasing a new album on an annual basis. And when you release an album that is as top quality as this, why would they need to? 

Best Songs: Die das wilde Wetter fängt, Senkrechte Welten, Todesbiwak, Zurück zur roten Fluh, Alptraum