Astrofaes is a black metal project from Ukraine that has an interesting history. They're mostly known for their epic style of metal that's been compared to that of Hate Forest and especially Drudkh. Even their guitarist Thurios went on to join the latter band. But in the early days of the band, however, they had a more fierce and crazed sound that was established as early as in their first demos, but would be expanded upon in their first album "Dying Emotions Domain" from 1998.
The album opens up with an ambient track "The Black Woods Theory". It's fairly standard as far as ambient intros in black metal go, but the melodic synths do a good job at providing a beautiful atmosphere. However, this calm scenery won't last for long, as in the next track "Fiery Mysticism", the whole thing blows up. The guitars sound very raw and aggressive, and they play an extremely fast riff that's a bit reminiscent of Marduk and especially Hate Forest. The drumming is also primitive in sound, as the snares especially sound loud and clingy, but the beat patterns are technical enough to lead the tracks. And in the middle of it all, you can hear some keyboards in the background flowing with the guitars. It's a nine-minute epic that starts off the album strong, and this strength only continues on as the album progresses. Tracks like "At Nightfall" and "Ad Infinitum (Dark II)" not only continues on with the raging atmosphere, but they also offer an emphasis on atmosphere, making the chaos seem grand and vast. The only weak instrumental is in the cover for Celtic Frost's "Necromantical Screams", as while it's decent, it does feel more like filler and something you can skip. Otherwise, the rest of the tracks have some intense instrumentals, and will leave you psyched.
The vocals are also really good. Dalver was the vocalist of the band in their early days, and is only featured in this album as well as The Attraction: Heavens & Earth. However, his vocal performance was good in both releases, and this album especially showcases that. They do sound a bit standard at first with the high-pitched shrieks, but given the intense natures of the guitars and drums, his vocals flow surprising well to the crazed riffs. It's especially true in the track "Dying Emotions Domain", as with its more epic approach to the riffs, Dalver's shrieks further emphasize the impression of fighting a bloody battle. Dalver's vocals might not be groundbreaking in terms of style, but paired up with the instruments, they're really good.
Even the lyrics are great. Three of the four main members wrote lyrics for each track, and they're all really good. Take the lyrics to "Path to Burning Space" for example, where this verse quotes:
Wake up!
Do you hear a noise of surf?
They are alight together
As summer lighting
Stars is burning
Basically, the protagonist is woken up by burning stars combining to make lightning. The details of the events happening are direct and to the point, and are enough to paint a vivid picture of the stars. These lyrics are also fitting to the instrumentals and vocals, as the loud riffs and synths do a great job at replicating the spatial themes in the story, and Dalver's vocals enforcing the intensity of the events. There aren't a lot of issues in the songwriting, as they tell some fantastic stories that are fitting to the album.
Astrofaes's debut is a lot more intense and extreme when compared to their more epic-driven albums later on in their discography. Despite this, the composition and songwriting is done really well with some intense riffs, harsh vocals, and poetic stories about the stars. If you're looking for some wild Ukrainian black metal in the vain of stuff like Hate Forest, then you have to give this album a spin.
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAlkFCP1cVA
