Sojourner - Empires of Ash (2016)^{Release ID: 12658}

These atmospheric epics have a cinematic feel to them like the soundtrack to a black metal Lord of the Rings.

A Lulling and Fantastical Journey

After thoroughly enjoying The Shadowed Road back in 2018 I've found myself finally going back and checking out Sojourner's debut, which unsurprisingly features similar styles of both music and cover art. What initially drew me to Sojourner was the more calm and peaceful atmosphere that they were able to create, and that feeling is more intense on this album than on The Shadowed Road. Empires of Ash relishes in its flutes, whistles, and piano in order to carry the melody of each song with the Black Metal tremolo picking and vocals taking a backseat for a large portion of the album, creating a more mellow and dull wall of sound than other Atmospheric Black Metal acts. While it can get pretty repetitive and drawn out, Sojourner are able to create a beautiful experience that retains most of its atmospheric wonder through the tediousness.

As per usual with Atmospheric Black Metal bands, the name of the game is tremolo chord progression with blasting drums in the background, and Sojourner bring out some skillful songwriting and melodies while maintaining the formula. While "Heritage Of The Natural Realm" is driven entirely by flute and piano, "Aeons Of Valor" immediately switches it up and lets two distinct guitar parts rip into the foreground, showing they have enough creativity to fully explore their style. The contrast between the gorgeous and soft female vocals with the average but well mixed male harsh vocals helps boost the identity of the album and band as well, each one having ample time in the spotlight.

Empires of Ash can be a slow listen and is arguably derivative within its genre, but that doesn't take away from it being undoubtedly beautiful. The largest criticism is that as a full album it's definitely monotonous and takes almost zero risks or deviations for the entire hour. It lacks some grand and memorable moments especially on repeated listens, but the experience of laying back and enjoying some beautifully constructed Atmospheric Black Metal with a properly used female vocalist is something I very much enjoy. While it doesn't exactly instantly transport me to some fantasy world, it's a solid release that any avid fan of Atmospheric Black Metal would appreciate, especially if they enjoy something that's driven more by folk elements instead of the metal ones.