In 2024 the duo of Azell emerged from the underground with their full length debut album, Death Control. The force and fury captured in those ten songs was a revelation to all who heard it. Mountainous sludge and sky-cracking doom delivered with a fearsome, razor sharp edge and possessed of an unwavering vision and purpose; Azell immediately stood out from the crowd. Now, little more than a year later, Courtney and David Napier have returned with an even more powerful, even more creatively ambitious and imaginative successor to Death Control’s throne. Prepare for the desolate onslaught of Astralis…
A fully fledged concept album, which will be released complete with an accompanying novella – each chapter intrinsically linked to a song on the album – Astralis is a remarkable piece of work in every way. Opening with the devouring darkness of first single, ‘From The Womb Of Oblivion’ the sheer gigantic scale of Astralis is humbling. Soul scouring vocals tear through the towering, monolithic riffs that seem to block out the sun, while bass and drums form a bedrock of unfathomable depth. Twin auras of melancholy and unnerving anxious tension bleed between the notes as songs like ‘Waves Of Remembrance’ and ‘Shifting Reality’ draw you ever deeper into shadow and confusion. A haunting sense of sadness seems to grow as the album progresses through ‘Threads Of Connection’ and ‘The End Is Inevitable’, culminating in Astralis’ bleakly magnificent conclusion, ‘Time Slows To Nothing’. Perhaps the most atmospheric and enthralling song that Azell have created in their career to date, it is not just the album that seems to be winding down as ‘Time Slows To Nothing’ progresses to its ending. Life, the universe, all of existence seems to be stumbling into the darkness of a last eternal night. It’s a fantastic finish to an equally fantastic album.
Perfectly mixed and mastered by the band’s own David Napier, Astralis couldn’t have sounded better. There’s a tactile richness to the riffs that makes you want to thrust your hands into their dynamic flow, experience them with every sense available. Completed by David’s striking artwork, a visual representation of the album’s presence and potency, Astralis will be released by Rottweiler Records on October 17th.
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