Sun Worship     

Surpass Eclipse
An Out Recordings 2013

This two song MLP from Germany's enigmatic black metallers, Sun Worship is magical for me.  It's like a Teutonic version of Wolves In The Throne Room in that it takes black metal and makes it epic and organic all at once without copying the Nordic style.  The first track on the MLP is Castle High with is nostalgic melodies and screechy vocals that serve to transport the listener to a grand and majestic period deep the pagan roots of the past.  The blasting black metal riffs are caustic and full of vehement hatred.  At the two minute mark we are served up midtempo black metal with warbling passages.  However this is swiftly washed away by frenzied riffs and a sense of yearning buried within the music.  The second track is Eclipse with its august melodic riff that flows like an ancient river on into a vast pool of cold, organic black metal.  The track slows and ebbs into some emotional segments of barren doom.  The guitars and drift like a breeze across the prairie before the drums kick in like the weight of a ominously looming snow drift.  The riffs trill into a distant and hopeful horizon that speaks of the comfort provided by such forlorn and hateful music.  On a related note, the LP edition of this recording is beautiful with its lushly bronze embossed logo which I absolutely love.  I was completely taken aback by what I heard when I popped on this eternally regal black metal EP that took me to a time of natural splendor and anti-xtian oaths.