Mesarthim - .- -... ... . -. -.-. .
Blackened post-metal from down under
Nowadays in metal, and the music industry in general, you often have to do something a little bizarre to stand-out. In the case of Mesarthim, it’s remaining unnamed as members and naming their latest album '.- -... ... . -. -.-. .' . It’s an ambiguous title in-keeping with the mysterious atmospherics of the Australian’s music, though it’s sure to confuse podcast presenters and would-be fans trying to google the album alike.
Guttural, seemingly lyric-less vocals help make Mesarthim’s music dark and metallic in nature, but in truth the soaring guitars are often less than brutal. Steeped in melody, they have more in common with post metal than the depressive black metal the band at first seem to be, and film score undertones keep the music epic and emotive throughout. Often chaotic in nature, but rarely aggressive, Mesarthim’s music involves surprisingly intricate songwriting.
Depressive Mesarthim are not, instead, the cosmic realm the band reach for embeds their music with an uplifting nature. On ‘..---’, a rousing finish provides a glorious feeling akin to discovering a black hole on No Man’s Sky, while the subtle effects of the synths on ‘….-’ create a picture of drifting through space in a trance of utter tranquillity. Meanwhile, ‘…..’ marks the album’s heaviest offering, as it introduces slight industrial smatterings amongst its cosmic atmospherics.
Epic but less dark than they seem, Mesarthim’s second full-length reaches for the stars, and is largely successful.
7/10
