Review by Daniel for Labyrinthus Stellarum - Vortex of the Worlds (2024)

It was a pleasant surprise to see Xephyr nominating the brand-new sophomore record from this Ukrainian duo for inclusion as this month's The North feature release given that I gave their debut album "Tales of the Void" a couple of casual listens last year & thought it showed some promise. Despite the fact that I haven't felt like returning to it since, "Tales of the Void" did leave me wondering what Labyrinthus Stellarum might be capable of in the future & here we get the perfect opportunity to see what that might amount to with "Vortex of the Worlds" being huge wall of bright, vibrant extreme metal with a unique flair for melody.

It really shouldn't be much of a surprise to see Xephyr nominating a release like this one as it falls right inside of his wheelhouse which is admittedly a fair way outside of my own but that's not to say that this isn't a more than decent black metal release. It is, however, one that blurs the boundaries of the black metal genre & it's up to the listener to decide as to whether that's something they're comfortable with or not. The idea of a black metal band incorporating the influence of trance music (& I do mean the uplifting & overly melodic form of EDM in all its glory here) as a primary component of their sound is not unheard of as we've seen artists like Australia's Mesarthim pulling it off successfully in the past but it will still come as a bit of a shock to the system of the more blasphemy-fueled & lo-fi-insistent black metal fans out there. You see, Labyrinthus Stellarum's sound is intentionally kept very clean & I'd even suggest that it glistens in the sunlight rather than being resigned to a life of sorrow in an icy Norwegian winter. And "Vortex of the Worlds" does come a fair bit closer to the sun than most black metal releases too because its themes are generally centered around space & the cosmos, again not something that's unheard of in the modern black metal scene but certainly something that goes against the traditional norm.

It won't take you long to realise that Labyrinthus Stellarum don't have a human drummer because the kick drum comes across as a machine gun of identical & precisely separated battering rams & took me a bit of time to get used to, particularly given my strong affiliations with extreme metal drumming. After a couple of listens I found myself able to accept this element of the record though, perhaps more because of the links to electronic music which is inherently artificial. The other obvious characteristic that becomes immediately apparent is the strong use of synthesizers as a focal point of the music, so much so that the guitars are forced into a purely supporting role which perhaps justifies the dropping of second guitarist Alexander Kostetskyi following the debut album. These synths take a couple of different directions; one that emulates traditional folk instruments & another that eschews the ancient world for a no-holds-barred trance-fest that would likely see the feelings of euphoria rising in those who are not opposed to a necking a couple of pingers & dancing their arses off at the latest Gatecrasher event. Despite my strong affiliations with dance music after my decade-long journey as a techno DJ in the 2000's, I've never enjoyed trance but I can dig this stuff because it never quite leaps over the cheese line, instead tending to tip-toe along the edge without ever fully committing. The vocals of Alexander Andronati certainly help to keep things centered as they're a fine example of the black metal shriek if I've ever heard one.

There aren't too many obvious weaknesses to be found on "Vortex of the Worlds" but it did take me a bit of time to get into, mainly because the highlights don't arrive until the back end of the tracklisting with the first few songs being merely acceptable. The epic title track that closes out the album is the obvious highlight for mine with the very solid "From the Nothingness" also standing out from the pack. The other four tracks are all pretty enjoyable but I wouldn't say that any of them quite manage to overcome my biases towards a more grim & frost-bitten black metal sound. I do think that "Vortex of the Worlds" is an improvement on "Tales of the Void" but perhaps not by as great a margin as I might have liked. There's no doubt that it represents a great opportunity for crossover appeal given its more accessible approach to the genre & I can only praise Labyrinthus Stellarum for their execution from such a young age given that guitarist Misha Andronati isn't even eighteen yet.

For fans of Mesarthim, Crow Black Sky & Lustre.