Reviews list for Mare Cognitum - Phobos Monolith (2014)

Phobos Monolith was Mare Cognitum's third full-length album and, for me, is the one that elevated him into the upper strata of atmospheric black metal artists. This is the album where his music first consistently assumed the epic atmosphere that the great exponents of the genre produce. The best of the genre expresses respect and awe for the natural universe, usually in sweeping musical vistas evoking mountains, forests and the white expanses of frozen tundra, but Mare Cognitum are one of the bands that have recently turned their gaze out beyond our world to the vast reaches of space, along with others like Darkspace or Mare Cognitum's sometime collaborators Aureole and Spectral Lore.
Of the four tracks on offer, three are over thirteen minutes long and, although the obvious focus on hypnotic repetition is there, there is also a variation in pacing throughout the tracks, that stops them from becoming boring and samey, transitioning from pummelling, yet gorgeously melodic wall-of-sound blasting to more ambient, dream-like sections. This melodic nature has drawn criticism from some black metal devotees, but is so expertly handled that there is no hint of sugar-coating or cheesiness diluting the frantic riffing. It may make the album more accessible however which, I guess, will always upset the trve kvltists. The vocals are raw, but distant, as if heard from the depths of space beneath the prevalent radiation of the galaxy, intoning the lyrics that concern themselves with galactic Life, it's passing and the ephemeral, ever-changing nature of the Cosmos. The production is also another area where the band have taken a big stride forward, the sound is huge and all-encompassing, yet is clear as a bell, allowing every note to be heard.
To coin a phrase, Phobos Monolith was a giant leap for Jacob Buczarski that catapulted him into the black metal major leagues, where he remains. A real tour-de-force of epic, melodic and powerful black metal that any fan of cosmic BM should lap up.