From the rich Finnish underground comes black metal spiritualists known as Starcave. Their latest release Sukta is a continuation from their previous release Final Sins, which was a raw and melodic romp that called upon the astral powers to fuel the dark atmosphere of that release. Sukta continues just that, providing raw and melodic riffs delivered with expertise and skill which is to be expected from the Finnish scene. The duo behind Starcave are extremely skilled and veterans of the scene. Sagittariuz who provides the vocals, had history in the legendary Finnish cosmic force known as Cosmic Church and Aura Saturnal, and lays down his iconic ghastly vocals that bode well for the mystical atmosphere provided through out the album. The other half of the duo, under the moniker Jinnhorn, is some what of a mystery, yet, the instrumentation he lays down through out the album is captivating and incredibly powerful to listen to.
The album starts strong with screeching melodic riffs steeped in raw production that provides this heavy hitting emotional impact that feels even more refined and focused on this release. The twisted and heavy riffs swirl in and out and create a hypnotic effect that when paired with its raw production creates a dark and cold sense of atmosphere, something only found deep within the spiritual void when one looks far enough. The steadiness of the beat and intensity of the guitars remind me of old Eastern mysticism chants, where the heavy and intense emotions run through the body as the slow-pace create a laser focus for the listener to tie themselves into the album. There are subtle synths, that I think were an influence from past bands like Cosmic Church, where they’re much more subdued and provide more of a background enhancement, creating a rich and dream-like atmosphere, rather than being the forefront of the album and ruining the mystique of it all.
With only five tracks, this album is incredibly dense, with plenty of story woven into its cosmic sound. While, it is hard to peace out what is being told, Sagittariuz’s iconic vocals are dripping with so much emotion and ferocity, you don’t need to understand what is being said. It becomes more of a intuitive feeling of astral truths being told behind a hazy and grim approach.
Sukta’s sound seems to be following a sort of interesting cosmic and ethereal trend that is seeming to infect the underground especially in the east. The band’s approach on Eastern Mysticism and heavy use of ruined ancient imagery of bodhisattvas and devas shows that the band seems to be pulling from something much deeper and more innate than what most people would seem to pick up on. Bands from the east like गौतम बुद्ध, กาฬพราย(Kanprai), or อัฐิ, all share this raw, ethereal and cosmic sound that reflects their local origins and home. So it is rather surprising to hear a band from a far off place as Finland to carve their own niche within their typically raw, d-beat driven black metal underground scene.
The hypnotic and melodic melodies of Starcave’s Sukta has fully captured me in a way I wasn’t expecting it to. It reminded me what exactly it was that got me down the black metal rabbit hole in the first place. Music that is coming from a deeply genuine and universally cosmic place of origin that is within us all is something that drew me even deeper within this album. A meditative classic that only gets better after each listen.
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