Remember, some 25 years ago, when we used to be super excited when stuff was described as post-metal, and even more so if a somewhat timid “sludge” tag was thrown in there for good measure as well? Though never the best music descriptor, there was a time when it actually meant something, vague as it was. That it would sound somewhere within the ballpark of Neurosis or Isis or one of the really good ones, most of all. It was a sort of scene that promised much but, apart from the half a dozen genre leaders, didn’t really last as long as it probably might have. Anyway, with most of those long gone in one way or another too, there’s still some shards of that vibe floating around in the ether, and sometimes some band out of time will really nail it once again. That seems to be the case with Icosandria, a four-piece from Porto, Portugal, who have just announced their debut album A Scarlet Lunar Glow for April 7, via Black Lava Records, and given us its opening song as a little taster of what’s to come.
The song in question, enriched by a simple yet effective video of the band playing very intensely, is called “Black Hxle 1999,” and you guessed it, there is a vaguely outer/inner space duality thing going on. “Within its lyrical constellations, the album gracefully orbits the conceptual nexus of cosmic horror—a symbolic vessel navigating the turbulent seas of individual perspectives, entwined with the tendrils of depression and anxiety,” is how the verbose the press release puts it, but the song actually does a good job of putting all that into music. According to the band, they draw influences from the likes of Alcest, Les Discrets, Deafheaven or Opeth, which explains the constant melodic guitar leads that give the whole thing a surprisingly airy, sort of shoegazey feel, in stark contrast with the generally suffocating, shouty intensity at the forefront of it. There’s a mention of post-black at some point too, but perhaps more in energy and harshness than anything else. Most of the track comes across like like Buried Inside doing a weird collaboration with mid-period Katatonia, and despite how that sounds, Icosandria do pull it off, while also ending up not sounding too much like anyone else, which is always a plus.
With only a previous self-titled EP in 2022 to their name—released around the time they became a proper band rather than a solo project for frontman Tiago Pereira—Icosandria sound much older and experienced than what they are, so this might be the beginning of a rather beautiful friendship. Make sure to give them a go.
“Let the currents of our sound carry you through realms unknown,” the guys in the band invite us, somewhat creepily as it seems to be their preferred mood. “At the genesis of our cosmic horror saga lies ‘Black Hxle 1999,’ a haunting ode to a moon-shaped entity whose enigmatic presence looms over Earth. Witness its celestial descent and the unravelling of mysteries that defy comprehension.” But wait, there’s more: “Beyond the cosmic spectacle lies a reflection of the human psyche—a tapestry woven with threads of existential dread and societal discord. ‘Black Hxle 1999’ serves as a mirror, inviting introspection into the depths of our collective consciousness. Embrace the enigma. Surrender to the cosmic symphony that echoes through the cosmos. Let ‘Black Hxle 1999’ be your guide to the thresholds of perception and beyond.” Yikes.
You can pre-order A Scarlet Lunar Glow right now through Black Lava Records’ Bandcamp. Their merch section also features a bunch of cool stuff.
