Ecferus - Pangaea

There is a very real magic to one man black metal projects, the intensely personal power they can have allows the soul of the artist to rub off on yours in a very profound way and speak to the listener in a fashion that no one else could. This only gets magnified with an artist like Ecferus who, while he does definitely acknowledge traditional black metal tropes has a fairly distinctive approach, giving him a unique slot in the scene and helping listeners to get lost in the twisted majesty and bleak imaginings of his sound.

The transition on this record, from traditional frostbitten black metal to sludgier moments or even vaguely electronic passages is really interesting. The quasi orchestral implementations seen periodically in this record help to allow Pangaea to display a broader swathe of sound than I think that many of Ecferus's peers could. The quality of the musicianship is solid but it is in songwriting that Ecferus really makes his mark. The topsy turvy nature of the pieces and the way that they leave you unstable, confused and begging for more is magical. With vivid soundscapes Pangaea is something you can get fully lost in.

I'd be temped to call Pangaea refreshingly bleak if the darkness wasn't so sublime that it left you questioning your very reality. With eerie melodies and a sense of orchestration that at times is almost Classical in scale Ecferus is one of the most fascinating one man black metal projects out there. WIth vivid soundworlds painted over blazing riffs and an obsession with times forgot Ecferus gets right to the heart of one man black metal projects and as riffs burn and solos dazzle its hard for the true black metal fan not to fall in love with Pangaea.

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