With:	Nadine Lehtinen
Conducted by:	Líam_Hughes (e-mail)
Published:	27.04.2020
Band profile:	Ashtar
Album info:	Kaikuja

01. Aeolus
02. Between Furious Clouds
03. Bloodstones
04. The Closing
05. (She Is) Awakening




Ashtar is the brainchild of Nadine and Marko Lehtinen. It is a band that, since its inception, has been steadily gaining strength and momentum with their occult-drenched blackened sludge. Formed in 2013 and hailing from the city of Basel, Switzerland, Ashtar unleashed their brilliant debut album, Ilmasaari, in 2014, which was distributed through various independent labels in Europe. The debut caused such an effect that even Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost/Triptykon cited Ilmasaari in his personal top 10 albums of 2015 in the German magazine Deaf Forever.

Now in 2020 Ashtar have returned with the colossal Kaikuja, a sprawling labyrinth of despair. The name "Kaikuja" comes from the Finnish word for "echoes", and Kaikuja definitely calls to mind echoes of a distant time, one more primitive yet steeped in an ancient wisdom. I was curious to delve deeper into the philosophy of Ashtar, so I reached out to Nadine, the bassist, vocalist and lyricist for the duo. Regarding lyrical themes, she is clear as to what her primary source of inspiration is:

"There is a main 'theme' in all my lyrics: NATURE. As a (female) force, as something that just IS, with no further question or reason. And then there are the (mostly dreaming) creatures connected with her. Lost in her. Or fearing her."

---

The first of these five monoliths is opener "Aeolus", which bursts forth in a confident storm of black metal. Nadine commands scornful screams with great authority, while Marko maintains a furious percussive pulse with a beautifully suitable, natural drum sound. The production overall is very organic and pure-sounding, capturing the raw energy and despairing atmosphere. The tempo drops us into a sludged out, sinister groove - this particular sinister groove being unique to Ashtar. Eerie, suspended guitar leads drone out over heavy, grungy riffs. It is an ominous indicator of things to come.

Nadine adds: "This song is about the mountains and the impossibility to conquer them. Aeolus sings about the lost souls who tried but never achieved. I love the mountains and they mean a lot to me. They give me shelter and a feeling of being home. As often in my lyrics, I just try to evoke an image, an illustration. Something powerful, raw but still beautiful. It's more an impression than a story I want to tell."

---

"Between Furious Clouds" crawls in next with sombre, clean, picked guitars. The melancholia rises with the addition of violins, creating a haunting, sorrowful atmosphere reminiscent of My Dying Bride. Creeping, foreboding riffs entwine behind Nadine's assertive vocals, which are delivered in steady, powerful strikes. One can envision a foreboding army of ghouls and witches marching forward to this sound, invigorated by the sense of impending doom. The passage eventually twists itself into a visceral, etheric onslaught of manic black metal. Marko displays a thoughtful approach to the drums here as he leads us back into a heavy, driving mid-tempo riff, after which Nadine's screams of agony follow. Ashtar masterfully create an ethereal, occult-flavoured space wherein you can bang your head. "Between Furious Clouds" is most definitely one such "esoteric head-banger".

Nadine: "Only the old nature religion is able to get the mystery of existence. 'Between Furious Clouds' talks about a fantasy figure, a giant, who is so big that he can embrace and influence the whole cosmos. He lives between the clouds, and his force is his distance. Those who believe in contemporary religion don't know about him, only the greater forces of nature."

---

The third track, "Bloodstones", kicks in like a sludged-out Darkthrone, although it becomes increasingly chaotic. There is a sense of time and space unraveling, with the introduction of somewhat soothing clean vocals from Marko. Spiraling sonic vortexes rooted in Marko's depressive chants act almost as glowing beacons of hope amongst the blackened chaos. This leads us into a sprawling, doom-ridden landscape that conjures up images of the esoteric, the metaphysical, and the macabre. There is a gnawing sense that something otherworldly is actually attempting to step through the sound. A dirty, weighty groove emerges, swiftly followed by a sorcerous fire of enraged, blackened ferocity that is as uplifting as it is devastating.

Nadine: "This is one is about witches and the magic and power of literature and written words. It tells of the healing power of spells, of words and language."

---

"The Closing" approaches next, with a malodorous musk of My Dying Bride once again present in the air, until an assault of guttural and witchy screams casts forth from Nadine, staking her claim as one of the supreme powerhouse women in extreme metal today. She sounds both ferocious and otherworldly, while conveying a strong sense of truth and honesty in her performance. This striking sense of honesty is present throughout all of Kaikuja, radiating through every note and hit.

Nadine: "'The Closing' talks about the wish to lose touch with reality and to create a near-death experience or to just dream eternally... Because reality is horror, dreams are wisdom."

---

Album closer "(She Is) Awakening" opens into an instant negative groove. It is ominous and encroaching, feeding in more eerie leads that dangle across the steady downward spiral. The whirling, seasick flow of the pace begins to become hypnotic, eventually inviting in some more droning accompaniments. Jarring strings and brass that drift in and out seem to gradually subdue the stomping vortex of weighty guitars, thick, rounded bass, and driving drums. The drones send the vortex of Ashtar off into the ether and suddenly the journey is over. It leaves you feeling as though you have just woken from a strange dream. As awake as you may be by the end of the Kaikuja, you are left with the sense that the fiery essence of Ashtar is most certainly awake and likely to spread.

Nadine: "'(She Is) Awakening' tells of a (female) star-born creature who is so dark that she is shining. She lets all awareness become nothingness."

---

Ashtar deliver their depraved blend of black metal and doom with a great sense of purpose. They exist as a pure and significant entity, operating on the fringes of this reality. There is something about their overall sound, vision and aesthetic that exerts a strong, mystical sense of fantastical ideas that are rooted in a real and earthy ground. Kaikuja is one of the most noteworthy albums of 2020 so far and, as fantastic as it is, it leaves you excited as to what the duo will produce next. This is definitely the beginning of more to come. With Kaikuja, Ashtar have displayed more than a statement or declaration of self, they have constructed a ritualistic type of invocation and self-initiation into their own next phase. What will become of that remains to be seen... though I, for one, am very excited. Kaikuja is easily one of 2020's best so far.

Kaikuja is out 15/05/2020 on Eisenwald Records.