Album Review: Andracca – To Bare the Weight of Death
Reviewed by Rick Eaglestone
Laying bare stark recollections and reflections on successive cycles of grief endured over the course of 5 years, Andracca return with To Bare the Weight of Death
A swirling ominous mist is the first thing you hear on opening title track To Bare the Weight of Death before it unleashes into a torrent of fury and emotive expression before conjuring up a wave of sweeping solos and a more atmospheric soundscape on Rise, or be Forever Fall’n – The combination of the crackling fire and dominant basslines among this without a doubt make this in particular a stand up track and for me captures the essence of the album’s overall feel and presentation
As the album moves into the halfway point with sweeping atmospherics and stand out second wave of black metal elements on Oceans of Fire was the bands first taste of new material representing the end of the fall into despair, this is complimented wonderfully with Antithesis of Hope, the similar track lengths throughout give the band the ability to deliver their message really well, once again the blend of varying tempos make for immersive listening experience and thinking back to 2020’s release A Sermon in the Universal Language of Suffering the embodiment of Andracca has stayed very true to itself but production wise it’s at a whole other level.
Rolling drum patterns, build up the Lamentation of Divinity nicely, and although the previous offerings have had their faster passages there is something in particular with the delivery of this makes for the feel of the albums most intense track, the vocals seem that bit sharper in their expression of despair.
The album concludes with Hollow Altars which would’ve worked well as an Instrumental piece but after the journey that it’s taken to put together such a stand as Andracca have with To Bare the Weight of Death it seems only fitting the album continues clawing forward inch by inch with its relentlessly honest and emotive presentation, once again the dynamic of a slightly slowed areas with well placed guitar solos help to continue the aesthetic of a reconciliation with mortality and a willing embrace of death in all of its forms.
Already the year has started with a lot of strong of black metal releases but To Bare the Weight of Death heralds a triumph in the unity of Life and Death.
