Guiding blind followers toward the overlooked roots of the ancients lying rotten and misused around us in everyday life this debut full-length from Gelderland, Netherlands-based melodic folk-black metal duo ALBURNUM seeks to open shuttered senses by way of fairly traditional yet highly melodic stock offered on this above-average debut full-length album. ‘The Withered Roots of Reality‘ steps out of the woods and into downward cast gait of modernity, a green wizard in an ocean of zombification offering choral-ethereal boost to melody driven folken wares which are simply stated (and at times formulaic) in their reveal but no less effective in praying open the ear. Though it’ll largely serve to preach to the choirs of the folk-black attuned there is an earnest and brilliantly stated experience here that impresses as a just ambitious-enough debut herein.

Alburnum formed circa 2017 by way of musician D.B. who’d been at work on the project ’til it’d called for the session work of drummer R.v.R. (Faceless Entity, et al.) around 2020 as their efforts began to hone towards folk-black metal inspired by the guitar textures and melodic ‘scapes of bands like Drudkh, Windir and the like. Since I’d already gone into well-enough depth on the general history and intent of the band when I’d reviewed the duo’s debut EP (‘Buitenlucht‘, 2022), which’d been generally well received enough to land on my Top 20 Albums of that month, most of what I’ve to say about this debut album will focus on the full extension of that sound and where it fits into the realm of suggested pagan metal contemporaries, such as the Haeresis Noviomagi guild.

Keeping in mind that the first EP from the group was built from the process of regaining mental wellness through the appreciation of nature, long walks in the woods and the muse that’d arrived, all that’d been expected of a next release from Alburnum was some manner of deepened introspection and a set of fluidly stated atmospheric rhythms beset by folken songcraft. In practicum the ambitions of the project were clear enough on that first release with hints of folk-melodic traipse and a bit of ‘1184‘ in mind on a few songs (see: D.B.’s use of accordion, mandolin, etc.), setting their work somewhere in between the flow-state of earlier Fluisteraars and the sentimental yet accessible reach of more recent Horn. This doesn’t necessarily lend us a big enough guidepost for what greets us face-first when stepping into ‘The Withered Roots of Reality‘ but if you are a fan of pagan and/or folk black metal you’ll find nothing but comfort and a successfully grand vision realized on this new album.

Of course the missing link, the ingredient that so righteously hummed in my ear from the outset as opener “The Hermit Has Passed Into Another Life” struck into its jig was a bit of Falkenbach-esque vocal chorale, the level of tuneful accentuation via vocal harmony which so many pagan/folk metal bands are so miserable at otherwise. From the dual acoustic guitar dance that greets us first to the speedier melodic blackened sections of the song already the drop into this album’s wares is squishing underfoot, a moss-covered walk through insistent rhythms which rasp and hum through on ear and out the other in brief verses. Pace and nuance have arrived beyond the functional rhythmic throughways of ‘Buitenlucht‘ and it seems Alburnum are eager enough to show all that they’ve gained over these last couple of years as the piece sets an almost too-high bar for the rest of the experience. The hook, apart form what they’d already shown, arrives somewhere around ~5:29 minutes in and no doubt even the most jaded black/folk metal enjoyer should be impressed by this boldly set opening number. It’d been a far bigger, readied personality bump than expected considering D.B.‘s debut was merely a step out of fragility.

The five remaining songs are then tasted with not only keeping up with this pace and set of grand melodic ideas but also appear conscious of not writing the album into a corner, so to speak, where every moment must build toward a big melodic interruption or a soaring peak. In that sense ‘The Withered Roots of Reality‘ seeks a comfortable medium to go about its business of conveying theme without anxiously rushing from peak to peak. “The Wheel Spins Once” more strums along in a rousing sort of way, very much a mid-summer town square sort of theme which again finds its sky-breaking vocal choirs, mandolin, accordion and such to give the ear somewhere to go beyond its jogging paced step. The waltz to the peak here is just alright, dramatic in the sense that it builds toward the end though it feels like the first part of the song and the second are missing a point of punctuation beyond the slow play-out that results. One of the finest and probably most relatable pieces on the album, the title track (“The Withered Roots of Reality”) pulls us closer to the knack of this debut in the form of its guitar driven central melody a voice echoed within the next couple of pieces as the aforementioned atmospheric/melodic black metal qualities of their rhythms continue to unwind. This is also one of the only songs that doesn’t rely on a simple point A to point B transition for its arcing effect, but seems to call for a verse-chorus structure just enough to build up a memorable enough stamp on the mid-album rush.

Though I am not sure there is any great value to offer in commentary on the production of an earthen black metal album there is some remarkably well-contained treatment of this material in terms of no horrifying gripes such as digital tics or canned room noise here. Mixed by W. Damiaen of Laster) and mastered by J.B. van der Wal of Dool, there is a warmth applied to the rhythms here by way of a very clean and only very slightly textured bass guitar tone with drums that are naturally background-set but still well inserted into the higher registers so that both folkish thrum and the bash of a few more rocking moments (such as the late-song melodic reveal of “On the Bones of Pilgrims”) carry the album with some real strength. For some this’ll likely be a very clean, crisply set presentation but from my point of view this standard was set eons ago by albums like ‘The Mantle‘ and still works when given a bit more low-end depth.

Though I’d found the turnabout, the grand melody in reveal ’til the song fades out, a bit of a gimmick on repeat throughout the tracklist this didn’t necessarily stop ‘The Withered Roots of Reality‘ from being a repeatable and well-crafted debut album. While the heroes and saints of the artist’s taste still ring loudly within their work I’d found this’d only accentuated my own enjoyment as a fan of the bits of classic folk-black, vikingr, and pagan metal with a knack for melody and a solid riff or two here and there. For a debut album which is very much content to stick within its lane and get to its point in an effective, already wizened and polished state this second release from Alburnum appears to hit the mark intended with some clear ambition realized while leaving room enough to expand in the future. Is bigger, better? In this case the material specifically suits the loft applied to it and the listening experience should be a hit with folken/atmospheric black metal fandom who appreciate a quick and clean melodic reveal. A moderately high recommendation.

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