Band:	Botanist
Album:	VI: Flora
Style:	Experimental black metal
Release date:	August 11, 2014
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. Stargazer
02. Callistemon
03. Cinnamomum Parthenoxylon
04. Gleditsia
05. Rhizophora
06. Dianthus
07. Leucadendron Argenteum
08. Pteridophyte
09. Wisteria
10. Erythronium
11. ?Gazing?

If you ever needed a prime example of black metal's growing shift towards the unconventional in our recent times, you need look no farther than Roberto Martinelli's Botanist. A curious concoction of vocals, drums, and hammered dulcimer, the debut of the project took the more obscure fringes of the genre by storm, fusing seemingly unfitting elements together for the achievement of a refreshingly original creation. While perhaps not as radical, VI: Flora seeks to continue this pattern, and it does so wonderfully.

VI: Flora essentially continues the new model for the project set by the previous IV: Mandragora (the question of what happened to V in this chronology is currently a secret still being held deeply within Otrebor's gardens). The dulcimer is indeed still distorted, once more helping to give the music a more of an actual black metal aesthetic that, while still distinctly Botanist's, seems to approach a sense of more familiar structures. This may strike some listeners as more accessible of a sound, and those who preferred the less controlled nature of debut may be slightly put off by it, but if anything it also seems more sophisticated, as though Otrebor has now harnessed some of the arboreal chaos of his earlier work and channeled it into a more direct and guided delivery.

What really makes Flora, however, is its superb attention to the creation of a grand harmony of sorts. Here it seems as though Otrebor has been experimenting with the exact sound of his dulcimer perhaps more than ever before. Less rhythm-focused than the previous album, the music here flirts around with a lot of hazy textures and melodies, for a very emotive, transcendental experience. There's some deep, immersive feeling going on here: the ending of "Stargazer," "Dianthus," and "Wisteria" especially all seem to be playing heavily with this technique, approaching some fantastic levels of atmosphere somewhat resembling shoegaze. Otrebor's vocals also seem a little bit more buried in the mix than usual, making them feel like whispers from within the great forest his music creates, which builds excellently upon this vibe.

VI: Flora is thus yet another worthy chapter in Botanist's pantheistic saga. While somewhat lessening the "out there" element, the music still doesn't fail to maintain its uniqueness or its gravity, and Otrebor's composition is no less interesting, even if it may be focusing on a different point of view. If this is the proverbial "next step" in the project's evolution, I'm very interested in seeing where things go from here.

Like weird shit? You know what to do!