In the Darkness Far From the Carnival: Arcturus’ Aspera Hiems Symfonia

Without much guidance or access to portals of the unknown, my ability to grab at the music and culture beneath the surface was a tricky thing growing up. However, pallid in comparison to my interests today, there were moments of grim hope. One such, (and feel free to insert uproarious laughter here), was stumbling into Century Media’s “Firestarter” compilation in college. Equal parts odd, interesting, and cliche, this was one of my first experiences near actual black metal (at a time when all of the monumental events were taking place). One of the standout tracks on that murder was “Wintry Grey” by Arcturus. Clean, clear, dynamic, symphonic, yet, very black metal indeed. Which is why, of all oddities, I made a quick stab for a used copy of, “Aspera Hiems Symfonia,” when it appeared in a CD exchange store in West Virginia (a story not worth telling), some three years later.

Let’s spin the wheels on the rack through two things here. First, I know I champion the deathly serious, and somewhat comedic term kvlt here, in the numbers of a drinking game, but every rule has it’s exceptions, and this midi-laden experiment in the left hand path is one of them. Second, I’m sure there’s a number of readers who instantly fished around for a “delete post” button at the first mention of “Arcturus.” Very true indeed, this is the only album I will take a stand for, as the band later became some sort of offal lost steampunk RPG, surely made by White Wolf. But, with the pro and con above, well weighted, let’s take a look at this album.

First and foremost, it should be noted that, throughout it’s existence, Arcturus has been a black metal “super-group,” for whatever paltry pence that’s worth. Though the group rose from the grave as early as 1987, the “Aspera Hiems Symfonia” (or,”Harsh Winter Symphony”, in Lawyer) was released a near decade later, in 1995. The list of conspirators penned to that release is impressive indeed, with Garm, of Ulver and Borknagar note, on vocals; Sverd, who might also be noted for The Kovenant, fingering the keyboards; Carl August Tidemann, of Winds note, on guitar, Skoll of, err….Arcturus..note..on bass; and everyone’s favorite black metal monarch, Hellhammer, doing what Hellhammer is infamous for. Bringing the same originality to the hall’s table that I assigned to Black Ring, Arcturus achieves this in just the opposite fashion.

The Aspera album, sinks its’ hooks into black metal, and drags it, shrieking, from the murk of the chaotic void and into the white sterility of the surgeon’s operating room. Each part is cut, crisp and clear, as with a scalpel. There is just enough dampening to fill the cathedral of sound, but not send it spilling through the gates. Gone is the tremolo picking, dashed are the circular saws of repeated chord progression, and unspooled are the flat dynamics. In fact, dynamic is the secret word here indeed. Whether in the forefront or behind, the it’s the keyboards that ride this record to victory. Not ambient, and swirling, but complex, and clearly at the pasty fingers of a master. With the rest of the instruments following suit to a battle charge of craftsmanship, the vocals are the true balance of grimness. What flows from Garm’s throat on this recording sounds as though one were pulled from the darkness and thrown into a web of razorwire. These unchallenged cries are built on a foundation of voiced experiments that range from whispers to Gregorian choral.

While it might have been my virginal undoing with respects to this group, “Wintry Grey” still holds my favor on Aspera. Charging in with wardrums and the cantations of inverted monks, the track then drops away to a vocal part so caustically vicious, that you can feel the warmth of the bloody spray, before shifting yet again into a symphonic tower of keyboards and soundscapes. This equation all swirls back around through the rest of the tracks, each turn working its complexity. Beyond that, “Whence and Whither Goes the Wind” in a sinister waltz with the subliminal messages pushed right to the front of the stage, with the voices spun wrong ways around. However, tracks such as,”Du Nordavind,” prophecy Arcturus’ odd future, with a slow orchestral build, and an interlude intended for the midnight harpsichord of a lost mistral show. None-the-less,regardless of what became of this horde, and beyond my typical feelings on the subject of black metal, love or hate, take note of “Aspera Hiems Symfonia,” and give this well thought out creation its due respect, and bleak consideration.

[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1-02-Wintry-Grey.mp3|titles=Arcturus-Wintry Grey]
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1-03-Whence-And-Whither-Goest-The-Wind.mp3|titles=Arcturus-Whence and Whither Goes the Wind]
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1-06-Du-Nordavind.mp3|titles=Arcturus-Du Nordavind]