Having approached the interconnectedness of all things in examination of place, identity and tradition before seeking the curative self in relation to the mundanity of circumstance and adversity the journey which imbues Melbourne, Australia-based black metal duo Sylvan Awe‘s work with a thoughtfully applied edge better illustrates its global sourcing on this third full-length album. ‘Pilgrimage‘ defies boundaries less as a point of purpose and moreso per an inquisitive nature, feeling their way toward better realized stature on a not-at-all self conscious path forward. If their previous LP can be considered an inspired step back into the realm then this should be viewed as a leap forward into their own mastery per its strengthened ‘epic’ melodic values and nigh progressive wiles explored.

Sylvan Awe formed circa 2015 by way of vocalist/guitarist S. Callinan (Abyssal Tomb, Càirdeas Fala, Galaxy) and drummer A. Horsman (Run, Seventh Circle) and it’d seem that much of those early efforts were a combination of very strong do-it-yourself proficiency and some healthy inspiration likely pulled from groups like Hate Forest and perhaps (earlier) Der Weg einer Freiheit as we approach their first full-length album (‘Offering‘, 2015) in hindsight and parse their light melodic hand and insistent pace. This was a very professional showing in most respects but perhaps a modest result for a debut as it wasn’t as sophisticated as any black metal result forged by their hands beyond that point and, to be fair, there was quite a long gap between releases. As far as I’ve gathered it took several years for the spark to return and the writing to begin again for this project, though several other works would gather around the artists as the pandemic raged on globally.

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Càirdeas Fala: A tribute to the independence of Scotland and more of an aggressive black metal side project from Callinan. If you enjoyed the first two LPs from Sylvan Awe you will likely enjoy the atmospheric yet raw sound here on their debut ‘Sons of the North‘ (2021).

Der Weg einer Freiheit: I’d specifically recommend the first few LPs from this German black metal band, even if you’ll hear a lot of Wolves in the Throne Room in there they’d ultimately differentiated in an interesting way and carry some traits which also reflect in Sylvan Awe‘s thoughtful melodic hand and dirging movements.

Hate Forest: It’d be difficult to convince me that this band, or perhaps the lighter hand of Astrofaes or Drudkh might’ve inspired at least the first LP from Sylvan Awe. For newcomers to their discography, ‘Sorrow‘ (2005) is the best way to ease in.

The artist has also suggest some appreciation or influence by way of: Khors, ‘Triarchy…‘-era Rotting Christ, Agalloch, and (earlier) Odraza. You’ll hear this DNA expressed here and there throughout ‘Pilgrimage‘

Inspired by the themes of a few choice black metal albums and stabilizing life events a second album (‘Transcend‘, 2021) would materialize several years later. I’d written about it briefly a few months after release, suggesting it were: “an experience wherein the narrative matches the action in a particularly fine way and we sidestep the esotericism of black metal for a very human sense of personal development. It is a triumph over circumstance and the ‘self’ but also a fine black metal release.” and this should signal that I’d spent time with the lyrics and had a bit of insight into what the album was trying to communicate. Otherwise, there was some sense that elements of Cascadian black metal’s oaken dramatism was creeping in, Slavic metal’s poetic atmospheric black metal spectrum was a textural reference, and the serious yet melodious stridency of more recent Mgła (or adjacent) were finding meaningful connection therein; That album had been a stone-faced reaction to the fear of encroaching mundanity on a personal and global level, or so I’d gather, a reaction to the modern world being quickly swallowed up by greying homogeny. It’d bear the defiance necessary of black metal yet there was a beauteous and ambitious etch to their work, a dichotomy of ambition and tradition which wasn’t fully resolved but had good enough reason to carry a triumphal and sometimes sentimental touch.

The loss of strictures shouldn’t necessitate a loss of control. — In most respects ‘Pilgrimage‘ is an outsized step taken beyond the launching pad that was ‘Transcend‘, maintaining some of that voice but quickly pushing forth both melodic, progressive and increasingly complex arrangements for a result which is by design meant to ignore the tenets and boundaries of black metal as Sylvan Awe saw fit while still immersing in its possibilities, tics, and traditions as the core medium. Does this mean this’ll be their ‘Below the Lights‘? Well, not entirely but there are some viably progressive explorations abounding as both the shapes and instrumentation of the band begins to sprawl. We get a hint of this as opener “Pilgrims of the Sea” foreshadows the melodic motif which guides us through this eight minute trip, a song which first reminds us of what they’d built on ‘Transcend‘ while also displaying far greater depth of literal resonance per a ringing and glossier sound design. They’ve fashioned this severe yet swinging (see: ~3:20 minutes in) piece which won’t immediately fight off the Uada comparisons form the normies just yet but showcases a next level of songcraft which is still ‘epic’ and driven in feeling but also has sharp hooks to dig in with up front. A rousing start but we’ve not yet fully broken into what makes this an exceptional record just yet.

for my own taste there is just enough extra detail, ambition and glowing idealism in a piece like “The Wolves of Willful Isolation” that it becomes an integral success among many on ‘Pilgrimage‘. In its first few minutes we get a beautifully orchestrated arrangement from Tristan Pavia which ebbs into a jogging paced tirade of glowing synth (by way of Callinan) and a melodic guitar lead which threads itself through each verse until the chorus begins to make its rounds. What starts as an epic anthemic build, in a very atmospheric black metal sense, becomes a dirge and a rousing melodic black metal piece as all songs begin to make their space known. If this were just another album I suppose Side A would be enough of a thumbs up to warrant waving this third album by, expecting the depth of Sylvan Awe‘s work to fizzle beyond those finely detailed and longform pieces. Instead the second half of the album continues to impress with four tuneful pieces which are all distinctly lain, highly melodic yet driven by what I’d consider an interest in avant-garde guitar music, some heavy metal tendencies, and a knack for lushly presented longform phrases.

“Alleviate” in particular caught my ear to start as brightly fixated, nigh Hellenic metal inspired piece though its effect was strengthened by the menacing sort of black n’ rolled over climb of “Solus, Total Death”. These two pieces bring tension back to the album as its middle-third in terms of events. As we touch upon the tarantella of heavy rock swings and dissonant crumbling ~4:30 into “Solus, Total Death” I’d say this is where we start to get a deeper look at the skillful work of each musician, not only Callinan as a guitarist but the sort of prog-death finesse available to Horsman. “Alleviate” serves as both triumphal melodic peak and still more of this ulterior stretching beyond the expectations of black metal, a driving and yet sentimental mode which reads as one of the clear highs of the experience; This contrasts with the more frustrated, shouted and incensed descriptions which surge through the final two pieces, the fiery melodicism of “Fossil” and especially the violently stated “Eternal Inferno”. This confrontational end does well to strain the conversation of ecological and societal collapse, bringing the full listen to a rousing endpoint and in strong contrast to the wintry sentimental ending of ‘Transcend‘ which’d felt excessive in hindsight.

As is the case with the best of extreme/heavy metal today ‘Pilgrimage‘ does well to catch the ear at every turn while it’s work remains just dense enough with rhythmic and melodic ideas that return listens have more to reveal each ride through. The value of the experience here is likewise carried through by way of its moderate challenge, a sense of movement which is both as easy and triumphal as it can be while still pressuring the ear toward each successive event. Black metal too often celebrates style admixtures from nascent thinkers but in this case it is admirable to find a group like Sylvan Awe pushing at its own bounds, clarifying their own purpose while messing around on the thinking man’s side of black metal to the point that ‘Pilgrimage‘ feels on the cusp of its own thing and in this sense this type of work calls for iteration, further exploration in the future. A very high recommendation.

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