Not sure what seems to be reverberating in the extreme music world, but it seems like the hills are alive with the sound pf atmospheric Black Metal these days. Just speaking out of personal experience this is my third week of being charged with reviewing an artsy and multi-dimensional take of the tried and tested subgenre. This time around it’s Falls of Rauros with their new album Patterns in Mythology (Gilead Media).

This blossoming and pollination of sound also means that we’re getting tastes from all corners of the globe. At first inspection of Patterns in Mythology suggests upscale European flair or perhaps the rainy soil of the Pacific Northwest but turns out it’s from a place only a couple of hours from me: Portland, Maine. What does that mean? I don’t know yet, but I just like taking comfort and bragging rights in knowing that New England is a hub for all sorts of artistic endeavors.

What you need to know is that this Maine outfit doesn’t need to worry about the competition because on Patterns in Mythology the skills are certainly up to snuff. ‘Weapons of Refusal’ is the closest to traditional black metal conventions with its waves of blasts and vicious tremolo picking and placing it so early on the album leads me to believe that they wanted to establish that they could’ve done a perfectly solid collection of conservative kvlt jams. But no, that would’ve been too easy. Watch your head for descending leads on ‘New Inertia’ and ‘Last Empty Tradition’ as the guitars are less Darkthrone and more in line with the smooth noodling of Baroness or Thin Lizzy. Sure, there were pockets of moments when I wanted blitzkrieg speed, but then I realized that songs like ‘Memory at Night’ aren’t built for beats per minute, but for a bit of introspection, long walks and rediscovering purpose.

Not sure what’s going around, but it isn’t too bad for business.

8/10

HANS LOPEZ