Six doors shattered from their hinges in the past now directly portal to seven grandiose daimonian appearances via the ethereal morbidity of Swedish black metal quartet ESCUMERGAMËNT as they reappear aghast, intending diabolic ruin and disarray for the unwitting listener on this second full-length album. Depicting the haunt of sinister ancient apparition from seven different angles of encroach ‘Apparebat Eidolon Senex‘ retains the surreal atmospheric draping of the band’s debut through differently cinematic eye, similar actors in scenes of increasingly obscure direction on the drone through. Operating within an unreal headspace between old and new-sighted atmospheric/melodic idyll this second album from the band amplifies the unnerving menace of their work unto an even more singular feat.

Active since 2016 but without vessel until early 2020 Escumergamënt intends abomination, a cursed and obscure vision of melancholic black metal rooted in the early to mid-90’s/second wave sensibility. Though they are officially anonymous I would at least venture a guess that Pär Stille (Stilla, Bergraven) is the main composer and Infaustus (Sorghegard, ex-Setherial) could possibly be the vocalist here, per my own ear and observation. This is inconsequential beyond partially illustrating the surreal rasp and eerie atmospheric drift of their debut LP (‘…ni degu fazentz escumergament e mesorga…‘, 2021) which seems to have been interrupted by the pandemic surging just beyond its completion. Languid yet not without its own miserable haunt their first work spoke to deathly adoration, a poetic form of death worship suited for the tragic sojourn of their greater landscape. The dreamlike, lounging fixation of that album offered a compelling juxtaposition to the more buzzing pulse of their riff-forward movements, escaping the brutality of the past but retrieving ye olde arcane delirium (re: Manes, Abigor, etc.) nonetheless.

The ratio of atmosphere to aggression and the generally distant production values of Escumergamënt‘s debut are only slightly disturbed for ‘Apparebat Eidolon Senex‘ wherein the muscle and glaive of their guitar tones are further engorged and the overlying vocal performances are centered in space per their narrative handling. Rather than appear cleaner or slickened in this process their work simply occupies more immediate voluminous spectre, a spatial change more than anything else as they present fantastical admixture of resentment, furor and overall disenchantment. Think of something closer to ‘Min Tid Skal Komme‘ in spirit but less exuberant, a sound carrying some of the forlorn spark of circa ’95 Norwegian hiss beside the epic spasms of ‘Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age‘ for a vague atmospheric ideal in mind.

All is more immediate, readied up than expected as opener “Within the Inner” begins with an echoic snarl as the thrum of Escumergamënt‘s rhythms emerge beneath slow-hanging cathedralesque keyboard/synth. While not every song so readily features keys as a major proponent their use here helps to build wavering tension atop the song’s verses, especially those which precede the melodic break in approach of its second minute. ‘Apparebat Eidolon Senex‘ is at its best when these elemental voicings are either slowly developed in alternating currents (“Laudanum and a Silver Scalpel”, “The Eyeless Festering God”) or barreling along all at once (re: “Radiant Glimmering Whorl”), offering a less sedate experience between those two states. Otherwise a varietal range of crisped and ear-cracking rhythm guitar tones lend an unpretentious scathe and plenty of texture to the experience as a whole, probably the most marked difference highlighted between the band’s first and second efforts.

The impulse to fend off beauteous and obviate atmospheric boon in favor of uglier tones is potentially the vital battle fought within ‘Apparebat Eidolon Senex‘ or at least a satisfying point of stoppage in either direction. No doubt a song like “The Demon’s Approach” is an ominous, scraping sift through a dead space by its majority but the ramping edge of the piece eventually finds its glowing centre at the apex of its run. There are few points where the gloria of a brighter shining idea overtakes the moment in such a way but when it does happen I’d tend to be most invested in the trip there and back again. Album closer “To the Graves!” is probably the sole piece which bucks the trade between this dynamic and combines them into satisfyingly adventurous ambient black metal result.

The pleasure of spending time with ‘Apparebat Eidolon Senex‘ largely came from following its deeply wrinkled path wrought between the beauteous and the malign. Beyond some early tonal confusion amidst compositions which meander in and out of lucidity the whole of the experience was curiously challenging, surreal, vacillating engagement which hadn’t been immediately tuneful or coherent ’til I’d resigned to float along with each scene provided. Escumergamënt‘s work ultimately earned the necessary fixation to follow its surreal thread the same way the first had, providing a haunting space to wander along within, but this time they’d gripped the ear more readily and wandered further into the depths than before. A high recommendation.

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