Review by Sonny for Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm (2021)

There are some very accomplished solo black metal artists out there currently, with projects like Paysage d'Hiver, Panopticon and Saor putting out album after album of superb atmospheric black metal. Another who deserves to be in the conversation is Jacob Buczarski, aka Mare Cognitum, who also has a very strong discography including last year's Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine, a really well received collaboration with Greek black metaller Spectral Lore. Anyway, a year on from that critical success and Mare Cognitum has released his latest solo effort, Solar Paroxysm.

Mare Cognitum's MO is atmospheric black metal with a cosmic theme, although his music tends not to be overtly cosmic in an atmospheric sense. Rather, his take on the genre involves quite aggressive atmo-black which he suffuses with some very accomplished melodies that act as a counterpoint to the blasting and so makes for a nicely layered and balanced style. Atmospherically, Solar Paroxysm feels more negative sounding than usual with plenty of heavy riffing, blastbeats and vocal savagery with very little by way of cosmic aesthetics, although he does maintain his knack for gorgeous melodies.

The album's theme relates to stellar mortality and cosmic death, it's lyrical content proclaiming the dying of stars and, in particular on Terra Requiem, the passing of the Earth and all life within. This track is probably the most evocative on the album with a dirge-like quality that intones what must inevitably come to pass. I wonder if the album's death obsession and overall negative vibe is Jacob Buczarski's personal reaction to the pandemic which he's managed to channel, via his musical alter-ego, into a cathartic primal scream. Either way it's a fine piece of work and I enjoyed it's darker tone as befits the times we are living through.