Australian project Suldusk has effectively moved from the borderlands of Dark Folk into a hybrid territory alongside Blackgaze and other heavier music with the forthcoming release of Anthesis on March 1, 2024 through Napalm Records.
The major sound development accompanies a significant internal change; as project creator Emily Highfield expands a solo-driven project into a full-band effort. While Highfield continues to deliver vocals and guitars, she is joined by Shane Mulholland, (vocals and guitars), Daniel Green (bass), Josh Taylor (guitars), Hayley Anderson (violin), and Frankie Demuru (drums). The album also has some guests on cello; including Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous) and Rachelle Harvey. That list should begin to paint a picture of what an expansive sound we find on Anthesis, and the intricate moving parts at work within each track.
However, if you are someone who was impressed by 2019’s Lunar Falls, and are getting the impression that Suldusk is essentially a different band now, that is not the case. Remarkably, Suldusk have continued to incorporate their more Folk-leaning sounds, not only as an underlying element in several tracks, but on tracks where Folk takes the lead.
Furthermore, Highfield has commented that the album’s title ‘anthesis’ relates to growing, blooming things, but also clarified that the album explores themes of ‘grief and acceptance.’ Hearing Suldusk’s move into heavy music, however, really has the ring of elemental forces to it; whether that be the formative and restorative impact of water (“Crystalline”), cosmic elements that introduce us to the non-human (“Astraeus”), or forces of cold light and dark heat in grappling combat (“Anthesis”).
Listening to this album in sequential track order takes you through an encounter with awe-inspiring forces. There is the gentle “Astraeus” with its medieval-leaning vocals conjures a sense of mystery, but it is also an invitation that draws you in. This is while the abrupt shift of “Verdalet” lets you know that you are in very different sonic and thematic territory now, a storm of heaviness that suggests the dynamism we’ll find in later tracks.
Paying attention to the album’s layout a bit more, “Anthesis” is wisely placed at the center of everything. Running the gamut from melodic slowness that mesmerizes and intensifies, manic instrumental episodes suggest a clash between opposite forces. Here we are also introduced to screaming vocals late in the song, encouraging us to accept that distances can be crossed, sonically, within the track.
This is while a song like “Crystalline” may have an ethereal opening, with an almost a watery wash of calm tones and high vocal elements, but the texture of layered guitars seems to counter the pace of drumming, suggesting tension. This, too, is a piece of contrasts, from its secondary screaming vocals to its delicate piano conclusion.
Several tracks from the second half of the album bring in more of Suldusk’s Folk foundation; such as “Mythical Creatures” with a dream-like atmosphere that may not exactly be a safe one. Though we do see more of the Dark Folk imagery here, the song embraces a much lusher instrumentation than Suldusk explored on Lunar Falls. Similarly “Leven” may seem more like a Folk song at first, but builds to a force that brings experimentation forward.
All these matters considered, a real stand-out on Anthesis is certainly the seven-minute finale entitled “A Luminous End.” Feeling so intricately composed, it might easily have been part of a soundtrack for a short film or the focus of its own EP and is full of non-traditional structures, yet complex orchestration.
Suldusk’s album Anthesis is clearly ambitious, not only because it represents a major sonic shift for them, but in terms of the fusion that they are seeking to create between Folk-like elements and significantly heavier traditions. While much of the album is surprising, it is not jarring or unintentionally abrasive, and that is a feat of artistry, as is their ability to create so much continuity with their earlier work. For that reason, Cryptic Rock gives Anthesis 4 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment