Band:	Eldamar
Album:	Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation
Style:	Ambient black metal, Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	September 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Akt I; First Sight Of A New Realm...
02. Akt I; ...With Forces Good And Evil
03. Akt II; We Dwell...
04. Akt II; ...Together...
05. Akt II; ...With The Ghost Of...
06. Akt II; ...An Eternal Sorrow

After 7 years, Eldamar have left Middle-Earth behind to venture deep into the cosmos; does that mean we can expect a different kind of atmosphere?

Formed in Norway (and not Middle-Earth) in 2015 by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Mathias Hemmingby, the atmospheric/ambient black metal project Eldamar is inspired by the works of Tolkien; the band name is derived from the coastal region of Aman settled by the Elves, and the musical themes based on nature and Elven Magic are also very much influenced by the vibrant and wonderful fantasy world of Tolkien. Although not the first band to follow this path (Summoning and Caladan Brood come to mind), Eldamar create a unique ambience that brings you to this world like no other; now you know a bit about this one-man project, I'll move onto its latest instalment, the first of a two-part album titled Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation.

Surprisingly, this latest effort shies away from Tolkien's world, instead taking you on a voyage deep into the depths of your mind and the universe. For those familiar with Eldamar, this might sound like a surprising route to take, but this is not the first one-man atmospheric black metal project to venture into cosmic realms; Midnight Odyssey, Mesarthim, and Mare Cognitum have all built their reputations on such fare. As with previous efforts, other than a few additional guest contributions on lead guitar and backing vocals, all instruments are performed by Hemmingby. This time around, he opts for a rougher and rawer production, described by himself as a "perfection in unperfection approach", whilst introducing new elements such as shoegaze, doom, and DSBM to this fresh cosmic themed setting.

The album's concept is based on 6 tracks split between two acts, beginning with the conveniently titled "Akt I; First Sight Of A New Realm...", which clocks in at over 10 minutes in length. There's nothing unusual about atmospherically drawn out lengthy epics for Eldamar, as the majority of the songs in their discography consist of them, but what is unusual is the traditional black metal approach at the beginning of the song. Blackened tremolos, powerful blast beats, and shrieking vocals aren't regular features in Eldamar's style, as the project usually opts for a synthetic ambient approach, but their signature twinkling, enchanting keys are still well and truly at the heart of this song, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the combination of the rough traditional black and ambient synth-based sounds.

Following is the mostly instrumental "Akt I; ...With Forces Good And Evil", which you could say leans more towards classic Eldamar with its heavier use of synths, accompanied by light screams and soft piano melodies that create an enchanting dreamy soundscape, but this is helped by a dabbling of shoegaze-style instrumentation. Those first two tracks form Act I; now onto Act II, the first three tracks of which are short and flow together as one. Throughout these tracks, Eldamar experiments in shoegaze and post-metal build-ups, with soft acoustic passages, echoing screaming vocals, and sweet piano melodies and keys. The album then finishes with 10-minute closer, "Akt II; ...An Eternal Sorrow", which is equally memorable as the lengthy opener. Beginning unexpectedly with cinematic sound effects such as whispering chants, footsteps, church bells, an organ, and unlocking of doors, this closer features a rather unique, diverse mix of elements, with regular tempo changes and heavy use of synths.

Eldamar have returned after a quite lengthy absence with Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation, this time with a new cosmic theme. It doesn't seem like a natural choice at first, especially with the introduction of new elements and music styles, but when it all comes together it's undoubtedly still Eldamar; the trademark enchanting keys and long instrumental ambient passages are still at the band's core centre, and this direction doesn't really feel like a complete miss to me. For me, Astral Journeys Pt. I: Creation is a step in the right direction after the slightly underwhelming previous effort A Dark Forgotten Past that never quite lived up to the memorable debut, so let's wait and see where Part 2 takes us next.