Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Ära Krâ - Ferne Tage (2011)

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for bands like Lorna Shore popularizing blackened deathcore, I wouldn't have boosted my courage to explore a lot more deathcore along with bands that added black metal elements to some of my favorite metal genres. As much as I enjoy blackened deathcore, how does blackened METALcore stand out for me? Maybe even blackened metalcore mixed with a different genre? Here's a great release to start with...

Ara Kra (Estonian for "Don't Cry", according to Google Translate) is a short-lived obscure German band who attempted to experiment with different extreme genres, more or less the way of bands like Portal. Their sole album Ferne Tage (Distant Days) has a unique sound that sadly didn't catch on, post-black metalcore.

"September" is a brutal start, with blackened melodeath blasts, riffs, tremolos, and screams. It's like a blend of Abigail Williams' EP Legend and Darkest Hour. But if you're expecting any deathcore breakdowns, they aren't any. "Odem" maintains that storm with some ambient sections. Right from the title of "Verschlafene Tage" (Sleepy Days), there's already some profuse emotion to feel. It's almost like if a deathly melodic metalcore band made their own cover of Cult of Luna's 2001 debut.

Continuing the band's uniqueness, "Neuschnee" (New Snow) alternates between soft synths and heavy guitars, both of which never sound out of line in this post-black metalcore sound. "Eos & Eis" might just be what happens in Agalloch went metalcore. And I have no problem with it!

"Licht" (Light) has a bit of For the Fallen Dreams injected into 2000s Solstafir within their sound. Then finally, the 6-minute "Flieder" (Lilac), which is a true post-metal epic, despite not being as long as most other post-metal bands' tracks that generally each twice that length. I can also hear both the ambience and melodic riff-wrath of From Autumn to Ashes. As of this review, I hadn't heard some of my favorite post-metal bands in a couple years, so it's a pleasant surprise.

Post-black metalcore is a satisfying emotional blend, and this 35-minute album can make as much of an adventure as a different post-metal band's 35-minute epic. If you're looking for a mix of Agalloch and Darkest Hour, look no further. Something with so much emotion shall not be taken for granted....

Favorites: "September", "Verschlafene Tage", "Eos & Eis", "Flieder"