The righteously hounding fodder cry out unheard and undelivered from the thousand toothed mill of their dogged existence, a form of braying meant to call down their masters in retribution. All that arises in response is the predatorial reaping of Portuguese black metal project MONTE PENUMBRA who’d bring clawed fists and sulphurously struck bent on this unexpectedly prompt yet enriched third full-length album. An eclipse-shielded emergence from their chaotic den of psychoactive darkness ‘Austere Dawning‘ once again lifts a freshly loosened layer of burden, taxing only the riffcraft incited part of the brain as they raise a dagger to these seven rituals and wrench loose a third adventurous formae of hypnosis. Conscious of the classic nox of eternal black metal yet presenting an evolved titration of noveau techniques this experience holds great parity with their recent work yet excels in its clarified voice, a symptom of increasing liberation within each creation.

Monte Penumbra formed circa 2012 by way of musician W.uR a guitarist and sometimes vocalist for Ab Imo Pectore, Israthoum and Angrenost through the 2000’s and into the 2010’s depending on the band. The original duo produced a few recordings which were oft compared to Ved Buens Ende and the ilk at the time but today we will skip any further thoughts on their prior discography for the sake of having covered this thoroughly in review of their sophomore full-length album ‘As Blades in the Firmament‘ back in 2021. It’d been an exceptional return for the project and one enhanced greatly by the well-prove presence of drummer Bjarni Einarsson of Sinmara, Slidhr and more recently Parfaxitas alongside the renowned touch of Stephen Lockhart for the final rendering. Though I’m not sure if the production has been handled in the same manner, of course this record has a different pacing and general sound, it does feel like some level of iteration (in a positive sense) with the return of Einarsson as key anchoring for the experience.

The whirring of old machines brought to life for a moderne sinistral cause fills the air with tentative energies, caustic potentiate captured within its batteries as album opener “Ab.gott” introduces the jagged cliffside grandeur and flowing, guitar-centric mania of Monte Penumbra as key characteristic this time around. Despite the calm control of the black-flaming hand which directs these events this opener, and its even more acrobatic companion “Void of Quietude”, feel as if a honed reaction to the events of ‘As Blades in the Firmament‘. This continuation of the conversation in a second tome, alongside former drummer Mons Vnct‘s contributions of interludes (see also: “Sub Forma de Animal”) sewn into several songs, lends a sense of heightened dementia and a level of reactive severity which demands more direct and succinctly worded (re: riffed) statements from W.uR‘s vision. To get right to the point: What we effectively lose in atmospheric psychoactive-layered bluster here we gain in a more directly cut escalation of pure black metal inspired riffcraft.

The aforementioned “Sub Forma de Animal” is for my own taste one of the most directly representative pieces on ‘Austere Dawning‘ where a sense of striding, purposeful movement seeks the edge of their attack and finds the cliff’s edge, feeling the nerve struck in real time yet retaining the original grip on the piece. In more practical terms snaking melodicism, trampling grooves, and an overall raw-edged attack help this song most clearly indicate the knack of this album as its guitar work/voice. Also, as subtle as the bass guitar tone is at this point it does provide just enough of a supportive level of interest that the ambitious thread of rhythm guitar driving the piece feels all the more explosive in the moment; “Murrain Unveiled” another of the more chaotic pieces on the album in terms of Wu.R‘s guitar work as it goes on sprawling and tessellating its whirring chord changes. There is a distinct classics-minded second wave voice to the rhythm guitar treatments here given further rupture by (now more) prominent bass guitar umbrage and hypnotic use of repetition which help this song stand out further. In my experience these two songs represent one of ~3 peaking waves introduced throughout the full listen, offering very little downtime to over think or process more than the scald of Monte Penumbra‘s action in stride.

If I had any general criticism for ‘Austere Dawning‘ as a whole it’d be that many songs build to wild points of interest but do not always have a plan for their landing. This leads some of the most compelling songs toward fade-outs, sinking toward points of quietude which begin to read as unfinished or less than eloquent statements overall. No damage is done in this respect though some threads hang loose in their raw black metal flailing of limbs whereas as others scale violently. The interludes, most of which resemble the transitional spacers from the most recent Misþyrming LP, do well to ease the lack of closure on a few of these songs otherwise. The peak of the ear-blurring, masterful veer of Monte Penumbra‘s rhythms beyond “Murrain Unveiled” arrives with the brilliancy of album closer “Stamen of Barrenness“. Here the galloping dementia of their strident authorship reaches for its exhaustive peak and introduces temporal and technical features which help to provide spectacular action for this energizing finale.

Despite it having been only a few years since the release of their previous album ‘Austere Dawning‘ adds a differently bent shard of light to Monte Penumbra‘s overall character one that iterates on the high standards of their previous work but does not flatly extend into “part two” territory. The more that I go on searching for a true “guitar album” in black metal this year built upon menacing riffcraft more I appreciate this album for its viciously struck verve and the positioning of their more chaotic ideas with even more purpose than before. The fact that they’ve managed some individuality beyond the usual smeared-about tropes is a feat in and of itself. Otherwise graphic design from Mons Vnct is similarly textural, fittingly arcane yet characteristic to the point that it individualizes the act and enhances the greater booklet (once more) with elaborately detailed collage and illustration. The final work considered for its physical and psychic impact is simple, effective but not without depth to explore in the details provided and warrants some great praise for its undeniably refined character. A very high recommendation.

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