Altered Zones

By Kim Kelly

Given that their first release surfaced less than three years prior, it does seem a bit remiss to refer to a band's newest LP as "long-awaited." However, those who have already been inducted into the cult of Ash Borer know all too well the agony of waiting for another infusion of swirling black chaos in their mundane existence. Sound a bit melodramatic? Then you clearly haven't heard Ash Borer yet.

The band's inception is marked at 2008, but given the dearth of information available online, the lines from their first practice to the release of their first demo are hazy at best. The quartet of members go by initials, interview requests are politely but firmly declined, and any photographs online are live shots. Ash Borer aren't much for self-promotion, preferring to stay in the shadows and allow only those who seek them out to enter their world. Of course, the handful of record labels with whom they've forged partnerships are a bit keener on getting the word out, which has resulted in a growing buzz around the band and their hard-to-find releases. A two-song demo recording surfaced in early 2010, quickly followed by the emerging classic split LP with like-minded doomed souls Fell Voices and another, tour-only demo. Now, the tail end of 2011 has given rise to Ash Borer's long-awaited debut full-length, and brother, it was worth the wait.

Sonically speaking, Ash Borer are truly a product of their environment. They and many of their peers understand that the ice-cold grimness of the Scandinavian hordes or the fetid jungle rot of the South American metaleros have no place in Arcata, California, so they’ve crafted a sound and aesthetic of their own, one that echoes the vast forests, rolling mountains, bitter air, and endless ocean of their home. The Pacific Northwest and, by extension, Northern California have been quietly tending the seeds sown by Weakling, Von, and Fauna and soaking in influence from European masters Enslaved, Drudkh, and Ulver. The so-called "Cascadian" black metal sound reaps the fruits of their labor.

Wolves in the Throne Room is the biggest name associated with this particular microscene, and one can easily see similarities in the way both they and Ash Borer compose their sprawling, blackened hymns. But with this new album, Ash Borer have entered a league of their own. Cathartic, hypnotic, and achingly honest, the three songs contained within this self-titled recording take the blueprints of black metal's Second Wave and gently break and tear away the most desolate, atmospheric moments, wrap them up tight in a shroud of Burzumic despair, and leave them to the elements to weather. A howling void of sound, paced slowly, deliberately, then lightning-quick, overlain by throat-mangling screams and guttural cries, driving melodies, shards of beauty, furious tremolo picking, primitive thrashing drums, moments of almost post-punk clarity, eerily twisted chords, and an overwhelming sense of urgency-- that’s what Ash Borer is made of. The production is appropriately raw, yet clean enough to allow the brightness of the guitars and carefully cultivated atmosphere to shine on through the abyss. This is no easy listen for a newcomer, yet a bit more accessible than what an acolyte of Revenge or Bone Awl would desire. Imagine Filosofem filtered through the biting sunlight of a coastal plain, dragged through the pines, left to burn bright and into ash as night falls. That's what Ash Borer sound like.

Ash Borer: "Rest, You Are The Lightning"