Band:	Sear Bliss
Album:	Heavenly Down
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	June 2024

01. Infinite Grey
02. Watershed
03. The Upper World
04. Heavenly Down
05. Forgotten Deities
06. The Winding Path
07. Chasm
08. Feathers In Ashes

Let's face it, bringing heavenly atmospheric black metal down to us all is just Sear Bliss.

Sear Bliss are a Hungarian black metal band who formed over 30 years ago, back in 1993. Their style is mainly rootedd in atmospheric black metal, although they often incorporate classical instrumentation and heavy use of synths in their style alongside the traditional black metal elements, with themes ranging from evil melancholia to the cosmos. This year sees the band introduce their ninth full-length release to date, with just one change in the line-up since their previous offering Letters From The Edge (2018); the new face is guitarist Márton Kertész, who joins alongside original founding member András Nagy (bass/vocals/keyboards), Zoltán Vigh (guitars), Gyula Csejtey (drums), and Zoltán Pál (trombone).

If you're a sucker for synth-based atmospheric black metal and aren't yet familiar with Sear Bliss, then let me tell you, you're in for a real treat! The album's opener, "Infinite Grey", gives you an indication of what lies in wait, as it begins with an enchanting cosmic synth passage, before blast beats pound their way in. This is soon followed by a highly intriguing vocal style; although harsh, they are not your usual sinister shrieks, but rather are soft and clear. The keyboard melodies and guitar work are equally melodic and mesmerizing, and the trombone presence is also a very pleasant element that really fits into the whole structure without at all sounding out of place. The trombone is present on each track, and is an instrument that has always remained a key signature element throughout this band's career.

The opening track makes for a great way to start the album off, but the melodies between the synths and both classical and traditional black instrumentation throughout the second song "Watershed" are even more mesmerizing, and it doesn't stop there. The third track, "The Upper World", is a clear standout, this time taking a more traditional atmospheric black approach, driven by a more rapid-paced rhythm along with epic synths in the vein of Summoning. The heroic trombone sound signifies hope, glory and honour (or at least that's what it sounds like to me) on this song, whereas title track "Heavenly Down" opts for a more saddened melancholic approach, giving the feeling of losing all sense of hope rather than uplifting your spirits.
At this stage, the listener is going through a real rollercoaster ride of emotions.

At the midway point, you're met with a nice surprise, the synth-based instrumental "Forgotten Deities". This is quite a remarkable song, as it seems too long to be an interlude but doesn't necessarily fit into the album's structure either; for me, it's like listening to a dungeon synth-meddling Burzum record with the tranquil atmospheric aura of Lustre and Eldamar. Following the instrumental, the album resumes from where it left off beforehand, and the final 3 tracks don't drop in quality either. First, you are taken down "The Winding Path", where you experience breathtaking solos, stunning synth work, profoundly powerful bass, heavy melodic riffs, and a majestic symphonic choir, in what's possibly the most epic-minded song on the album. "Chasm" then follows; this is the heaviest and most ferocious track on the record, driven mostly by blackened tremolos, blast beats, and eerie synths. All these elements border on meloblack material until the trombone and passionate clean singing come into play, at which point it sounds like it would suit an epic soundtrack for a fantasy film. "Feathers In Ashes" (which gives me an odd satisfaction reminiscent of Summoning's Old Mornings Dawn) is a closer where I couldn't possibly have hoped for melodies as memorable. Those twinkling keys are sensational, and work so well alongside the melancholic leads, even if it eventually goes into epic hyperdrive mode, which for some listeners might get too overpowering.

Heavenly Down is a satisfying, majestic, and epic journey that will surely lighten up even the most hardened of metalheads and trve kvltists. For some, that epic, majestic feel may run its course before the end, and there may be times that you're left wondering when the blackened ferocity and aggressiveness will eventually pick up and ease up on the glorious synth presence. However, this is an album that you have to sit back and admire for its beautiful and tranquil soundscapes.