Spectral Lore is the atmospheric black metal project of Greek musician Ayloss, and Sentinel is his third release. Consisting of seven mostly epic length tracks, Sentinel manages to change directions quite often and never bore the listener. Kick off tracks "All Devouring the Earth" and "The Dejection of Arjuna" start off as blistering black metal juggernauts, complete with Ayloss' frenetic riffing, bombastic blast beats, and ungodly vocals, before each piece slowly morphs into chilling soundscapes of ominous atmosphere and tranquil menace. "The Coming Of Age" features more traditional heavy metal arrangements supporting the deadly moans of Ayloss, and "Quest For The Supramental" is 11-minutes of monstrous guitar riffs and eerie sound effects that wouldn't sound out of place on a doom record. Things quickly jump back to blasting black metal ferocity on the lethal "The Ascension Into the Celestial Spheres", complete with some scorching tremelo picked riffs and a haunting closing sequence that segues into the monolithic 30-minute "Atlus", which is a half hour of sound effects, creepy atmosphere, and overall menace.
Filled with chilling lyrical imagery, crushing guitar work, and simply ghastly, brutal vocals, Sentinel is a fascinating black metal experience from Spectral Lore. Ayloss has shown that his take on this form of extreme metal has plenty to offer a somewhat stale and stagnant genre. This CD is limited to 500 copies and can be purchased at the link below, or for digital/mp3 you can go to http://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/
Track Listing
01. All Devouring Earth
02. The Dejection Of Arjuna
03. The Coming Of Age
04. Quest For The Supramental
05. My Ascension Into The Celestial Spheres
06. Atlus I
07. Atlus II
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