Black Lotus
Harvest of Seasons
Bleak Art Records 2008
Canada is not
usually known for folk inspired black metal yet here is the exception to the
rule, Black Lotus. I have heard Black Lotus compared to Borknagar's
imperial yet naturalistic style and I would say this is quite an accurate
assessment. After a calm acoustic intro, a surprisingly fiery black metal
symphony erupts on Signatura Rerun. Clean male vocals add touches of
operatic beauty. Statues in Auburn blasts with nocturnal beauty that
brings to mind the chill that sets upon everything after a burning sunset.
At times during the faster sections I am reminded of Dimmu Borgir's Stormblast
though less piano oriented. Terra Hiberna is painted with melancholy as
guitar melodies blend with sorrowful synths to create passages that are both
uplifting and paradoxically filled with sadness. The clean vocals are
filled with a sense of longing for ancient times and all of Black Lotus' various
elements combine perfectly to achieve the album's highlight. Majestic
synths add depth and emotion to the bouncing black metal riffing of Awaken the
Season of Old. Towards the end of the album I feel it begins to drag a
little. The Fallow Earth is a tempest of high-speed black metal riffs
and drumming that drop their tempo for the clean vocal sections. Dueling
clean and black metal vocals can be appealing to me in limited doses but I think
Black Lotus overuse them a little. I know this is one of the key aspects
of their style but it serves to make the songs sound samey towards the album's
final tracks. Black Lotus has created an album that is enjoyable though
not earth shattering. Arcane and pagan elements sweep across Harvest of
Seasons and through musical evocation times of natural heathen glory are hailed
and lamented.