Echushkya "Earth And Sea" CD

Compilation of the first two Echushkya releases: "Dust and Ethers" and "Ara II."
Comes with a 16-page booklet. Limited 300 copies
Tracks 10 and 11 are exclusive to the Compilation version.

Number two in the Schattenkult year end raid comes in form of the US based one man project Echushkya. “Earth and Sea” is a compilation consisting of the first demo “Dust and Ethers” and the full length debut “Ara II”. On top of that there are two extra songs, adding up to an insane amount of nearly 77 minutes full of content. Some of the songs are pretty lengthy, so it takes a bit of endurance to sit through the whole thing, but it is totally worth it. To be honest I do not have too many US black metal albums in my collection, with only a few acts like e.g. Nightbringer and the respective side projects having gained my full attention so far.
Andrew, the man behind Echushkya, goes down a bit of a different route compared to Naas Alcameth and his crew. While the main assets of those are the mixture of relentless sonic assault and psychedelic motifs, the stuff being subject to this review comes across more laid back and relaxed in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, this is pretty much straight forward traditional black metal, with enough tremolo runs and battering drums to satisfy each purist. What I mean by that is that Andrew is concentrating more on the basics, with his approach being an ode to the great works of the glory nineties in the first place. You will hear a lot of familiar elements while spinning this album, but Andrew is a masterful songwriter, so that most fans will love this kind of tribute to the icy godfathers of the Northern valleys.
In a way this is where the real talent of Echushkya lies, studying the past and learning from it. At times I enjoy more dissonant or technically complex stuff as well, and I am always interested in bands progressing and trying to push the boundaries of the genre. However, there is a reason why exactly “this” kind of sound made such big waves, and I for one cannot get enough of such classic guitar harmonies as e.g. provided in the song “Ara II: The Baths of Diona”. This might not be overly innovative or progressive, but when the music is crafted with so much passion for the genre the magic is still omnipresent, and it still carries the potential to give me goosebumps. And don’t get me wrong, this might be the sort of album which appears simple on the surface, but which constantly forces you to reassess your expectations of it with each and every listen and opens up even more with every further spin.
The biggest strength is the seemingly effortless combination of heaviness and ambience, evident nearly everywhere on the album. Spiraling lead guitar work and frantic drumming make up for a fascinating combination, delivering an immersive atmosphere and an overall epic character. Every second of every song is dense with meaning, and while the guitar work is the biggest attraction here the drums sit nicely in the mix as well. Overall the whole album has a great flow, seldomly diving into too hectic or chaotic patterns, concentrating on delivering a very stringent experience for genre fans. Some laid-back sections have been included to break things up and ramp up the cold yet fascinating atmosphere even more.
The production is great, not too clean, yet not too distorted or muddy as well. When I compare the sound here to e.g. their label colleagues Funeralis “Earth and Sea” feels somehow more distant and frosty, like it had been recorded in an icy cavern somewhere in the Norwegian tundra, whereas the new album by Funeralis has a somehow more direct, compressed and slightly murky sound, lending them even an aura of black/death at times. I am not an expert when it comes to this kind of technical description, but I would anyway recommend to check both albums out. One positive aspect in my books is that the sound of both the album and the demo tracks is more or less on the same level, lending this compilation a nice feeling of continuity. Overall a very nice package and an easy buy for followers of black metal in general and fans of the second wave especially.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...