Archierophant - Birds Of Joy And Sorrow

The black metal project of Lewis Borthwick, who helped mastermind the recent debut Grimorte EP, Archierophant return with a spellbinding sophomore release. A breathtaking balance of brutality and beauty, Archierophant enlist the vocal talents of Ffion Elisa and Sami Tuohino of Oenos to contribute to the wide-ranging spectrum of sound found on Birds Of Joy And Sorrow. What's arguably most impressive here is how cohesive the music all sounds here, with regard to how many different spheres of influence are present. Trust me, though, this is not one to go under the radar.

The release splits itself nicely into two parts; the first being crushingly heavy with a more 'straight-up' metal approach. Opening track 'Alkonost' immediately tears through the speakers with a descending, dissonant minor key sequence, but laden with pianos and haunting backing vocals to create an unmistakeable symphonic black metal vibe. A drop in tempo around the two-and-a-half minute mark creates a stunning dramatic effect, with its clever orchestration and elements of a classic metal breakdown. The song intelligently utilises a single musical idea for most of its runtime, although by switching up the rhythms and allowing each passage to flow in and out of each other, it never outstays its welcome and the listener barely notices the way that 'Alkonost' plays out for well over six minutes. 'I Do Wander' follows, entering with a desolate-sounding piano melody above the sound of the wind to create a truly bleak atmosphere before the song truly kicks in. With a strong, melancholic doom metal influence, it marks itself out as separate from 'Alkonost' without sounding completely different, as the symphonic elements remain in place and the tortured, blackened vocals (this time from Tuohino) continue to guide the listener. Again, its relatively long runtime is barely registered. The main musical theme is repeated, but not repetitive, and Borthwick leads the ebb and flow of the piece masterfully.

The softer second half of Birds Of Joy... enters with ethereal, operatic vocals from Ffion Elisa to introduce 'Flight Of Shade'. These vocals act as another symphonic instrument in the mix, rather than as a lead focal point. The song is still in the realm of blackened doom, but in a much lighter style than 'I Do Wander' before it. The 'clean' vocal style certainly aids this, but 'Flight of Shade' evokes a different type of emotion, somewhat cathartic and uplifting. Again, it is based largely from a single musical idea, but with well-controlled switches in dynamics, rhythm and instrumentation, it builds up to a thrilling climax and it is easy to fall into this song's hypnosis. 'Sirin's Last Hope' closes the EP with light, soaring, major-key piano melodies that ultimately lie closer to a classical composition than black metal, but still feels in place within the release. Borthwick has cleverly set out the EP to start in a heavy style, and slowly become lighter over the course of its playtime, but at no point does the music lose any of its power and grandiosity. Instead, the unifying musical concept behind this release is reframed and recontextualised with every new song, making you feel grim and evil at the inception, but relaxed and uplifted by the end. 'Sirin's Last Hope' is a beautiful piece of music that rounds off Birds Of Joy... with a positivity that is somewhat unexpected although far from out of place.

An emotive, symphonic and well-structured release that gives more with each renewed listen. Well worth your twenty minutes of time. 

Bandcamp

MN