Archurahl "Albtraum" CD

I was very ready to dislike this EP. Its earliest moments did not grip me, with a barebones "creepy" soundscape underscoring barely audible vocals. The liner notes of the CD itself contain a verbose autobiography of the band, which struck me as indulgent. But, having bought the disc already, I was committed to giving it a fair chance and I'm glad I did.

As soon as opening track "Brutal Murder Victims" began in earnest, it became one of my favorite opening tracks of the last several years. Each tremolo riff is absolutely malevolent, and each is perfectly matched by maniacal blast beats and "slower" sections still much faster than the average hardcore punk song. Every word here is delivered in a scream so palpably throat-tearing that I was surprised not to hear a cough at the end of every verse. It reminds me a lot of Judas Iscariot circa Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten - one of my all-time favorite black metal bands and EPs.

Yet Archurahl is far from a nostalgia act lurking in the shadow of its influences. The riffs here are full of character, utilizing chromatic movement and weaving dungeon synth elements into the metal tracks. Even the insanely simplistic, sub-one-minute "Pure Noises of Death Agony" is memorable and well-developed. And while the slower songs don't build atmosphere to quite the degree I'd have liked, they're still plenty engaging and provide a good reason for Algroth to demonstrate his skill for wailing DSBM-like vocals.

There are still elements I dislike, such as the spoken sample in "Maybe This Efforts are All In Vain" and the twin outro tracks. A lot of these songs start and end strangely too, which can make the EP feel a bit disjointed - but it is an EP called Albtraum, and the atmosphere is unquestionably nightmarish. I may not reach to pull this one from my shelf as often as other CDs I own, but I know I will be coming back to it and I look forward to hearing more from Archurahl.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLYvnocbUxY