All that is created with purpose is worth dismantling, shredding apart into endless states if reconstitution in line with the Tartarean punishment of impermanence centers within the contemplative pathos of Wollongong, New South Wales-borne dark metal duo AUSTERE who return for a fifth-full-length album which naturally flows from a font of creation and destruction in this, their prolific period beyond rebirth. Their work follows the previously established modus of crossing of lead-guitar driven melodic metal and fraught blackgaze/atmoblack muse with greater refined vision and voice, taking the next step forward along the way. As they pull even more of their process and render in house their work only becomes more focused, impactful in delivering introspective songs which deepen their expressive capabilities and thankfully land a handful of heavily repeatable guitar hooks along the way.

Austere were eulogized for over a decade beyond their five year run (2005-2010) as an important depressive black metal band, evolving a unique sound in the span of the three major releases during that time. Their return beyond a couple of collection releases (circa 2021-2022) was confirmed by a third full-length album (‘Corrosion of Hearts‘, 2023) which’d been warmly received for what was ultimately the blueprint for the “modernization” of that core idea, artists who’d picked up their collaboration as changed artists and kept their own pace and vision as they saw fit. In an extensive review I’d enjoyed that record quite a bit while conceding that the returning fan might not recognize the duo under different light, that their work was something closer to an ideation of atmospheric black metal and “dark metal”, or melancholic melodic metal based in black (and gothic) metal sounds.

Though I’d felt I’d said all I’d needed to in review of that third LP in terms of my own nostalgia and thoughts on their new gear it was great to see Austere not only touring that “comeback” LP but releasing a second full-length (‘Beneath the Threshold‘, 2024) soon after which expanded upon the tuneful, more directly shot side of their newly fostered dark metal sound. The comment I’d made on the album kind of suits what they’ve done here with album number five: “From this vantage point it is easy to see how catchier, tightened guitar hooks and bigger harmonized choral dirges might surface through iteration but either way I’d found this one captivating, tuneful, and on some level eerily reserved.” If that’d been considered the defining release per the band’s return then it only makes sense for ‘The Stillness of Dissolution‘ to iterate and expand those more tuneful melancholic dark metal/blackgaze pieces with less of a focus on longer-form atmospheric black metal style.

Does any great dark metal album truly transcend the impact of ‘Brave Murder Day‘? Probably, though the best work within said tradition implements that foundation as often as possible. I’d probably remarked similarly per the prior LP but here I figure if you’d landed in the clutches of the first single from ‘The Stillness of Dissolution‘ (“Time Awry“) you’d felt that distinct ripple of both technique and maudlin guitar progression. Per my own taste that is enough to at least pull me in for repeated listening but the similarly late 90’s melodic extreme metal event that kicks off opener “Dissolved Exile”(re: blackened Sentenced‘s ‘Amok‘, something like that) would end up being my major fixation out the gates and a hard point to see past for a bit. That hook was a deep one to start and already gives this album a sort of leg up beyond the prior, delivering basically what I’d suggested would be the case back in 2024.

From that point the merger of this catchier, droning guitar-driven side of Austere with blackgaze more readily emerges within Side A closer “Redolent Foulness” per its galloping step, sweetened leads down the road, and chorus-built vocals. This is more-or-less a refinement of the previous album’s general breakthrough where the whole ouevre fires up at one point or another. We’re not really beyond the pale and taking that next leap forward ’til we hit “The Downfall” and this is both is where the album loses me a bit and where their work shows its ambitions once more. If you are a fan of groups like Lustre and/or Lantlôs and such I don’t think those two pieces will be shocking, especially not after the fusion found on ‘Beneath the Threshold’ covered some of this sensation. That said it wasn’t necessarily something to spark my own interest as much as the songs that kicked off the album. Granted “Rusted Veins” splits the difference pretty well, proposes a more appealing ratio of guitar hook and lightened refrain on my end.

So, altogether ‘The Stillness of Dissolution‘ will probably bear no major interest for folks looking for a trek back to the late 2000’s though it might interest fans of the dark metal style the band have been developing since 2023 most. Otherwise I figure “The Downfall” will be a challenge for some yet an expanded set of possibilities for Austere‘s palette going forward, the trade off makes good sense from a more objective standpoint. That said hitting the grand finale of “Storm Within My Heart” and riding through those final ~9 minutes felt just about as good as tucking into the two opening pieces on ‘The Stillness of Dissolution‘, yielding a memorable but somewhat inconsistent experience per my own taste. The result (as in, the full listen) is smartly holistic in expressive the duo’s ouevre yet focused in its own central melodic voice, another step taken along the ever-broadening road trod by Austere within their second life. Not every piece here is necessarily for me and my own sensibilities though I can’t deny the band their refined muse and even more directly shot songcraft. A moderately high recommendation.

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