Xanthochroid - Of Erthe and Axen: Act I (2017)^{Release ID: 12078}

Black metal has been known as satanic, but sometimes progressive and/or epic. I prefer to get the epic side of metal from the progressive metal of Opeth, instead of the black metal of Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Satyricon. Do you ever wonder if bands combine the epicness and complexity? This band can! They've done it with great magic that many other bands of similar styles lost over the years. However, it's not like a Christmas present that I've really desired (and it is close to Christmas as of this review) in some parts, but there's no way this will ever make me as disappointed as I was about Opeth's prog-rock era.

Of Erthe and Axen (Act I) is quite an exciting thrill-ride, and it was definitely worth the 5-year wait fans of the band had since their debut, though they would have to wait even f***ing longer for a new one after Act II. This is kind of a throwback to around the time of the album's release, when I was an older teen listening to other band of the more epic progressive metal shortly between switching to its extreme side and more modern genres. It really satisfies what I've expected! The band members have done a brilliant job turning this album into a near-perfect masterpiece. While I hear a good amount of symphonic black metal, the album is not entirely like that, balanced out with tremendous progressive metal. Even the story is planned out to be as structural as the music.

The introduction is what sets up the story and lets you know what the story will represent, and "Open the Gates, O Forest Keeper" would help get you in your seat as an orchestral overture. "To Lost and Ancient Gardens" introduces you to the story lyrically, though honestly those first two tracks should've combined into a full introduction. Further introducing the different aspects, "To Higher Climes Where Few Might Stand" brings in the enigmatic progressiveness along with the epic black metal fury.

Continuing the progressive complexity in the knot is "To Souls Distant and Dreaming", sounding as epic in the music and storytelling as Opeth's Still Life. "In Deep and Wooded Forests of My Youth" is unique in the progressive/symphonic black metal realm, sneaking in an acoustic ballad with clean male/female vocals to pause the complexity and fury the rest of the album has to offer. It's much better than Blind Guardian's "Bard Song (In the Forest)", but as someone who's aiming for more of the heaviness, that doesn't really lighten things up for me.

You can tell we're already entering the climax when you first hear the chanting in "The Sound of Hunger Rises", like some serious sh*t is gonna happen. The magnificent story of heroism and tragedy continues to be told within this metal soundtrack. "Have you ever felt this way before? Can you feel the power surging through your soul?" Sung in impressive honesty to keep you up to date in the story's occurring calamity. This is also achieved in "The Sound of a Glinting Blade", one more soft ballad. "The Sound Which Has No Name" is the cinematic finale where the band has mastered it all. This is symphonic black metal within the orchestration, tremolos, and blast-beats, along with vocals ranging from unclean to clean, and the progressiveness is added once again to the brutality. An epic ending!

In the end, we have a beautiful first part of the Of Erthe and Axen saga. Will I ever be up to checking out the exciting conclusion? Not today, but perhaps one day when I'm fully up to exploring more of non-satanic black metal and the more cinematic progressive metal. And this epic offering has given me a bit of motivation!

Favorites: "To Higher Climes Where Few Might Stand", "To Souls Distant and Dreaming", "The Sound of Hunger Rises", "The Sound Which Has No Name"