Entry 272 - Aara - Triade II: Hemera

 

I first came across Aara a few years back. Their debut album blew me away with its combination of religious atmospherics and the insane vocals. The albums since have been a bit hit and miss for me. Triade I though was mostly incredible, adding in some death metal levels of intensity into the already aggressive form of melodic black metal. It was going to be a tough album to follow.

Triade II felt like a bit of a let down compared Triade I at first. Phantasmagoria does not start the album off well. It's slow, it lacks the intensity of Triade I and a greater emphasis on melody. It's not bad, it simply does not grab me as much as I expected an opener to.

Adonaia's Elegien doesn't really do much to help as it is very similar, except maybe more emphasis on melody than the opener. The end especially has a dueling melodic interchange, that while well executed does not grab my attention as well as it should. After that though the album begins to show its true character.

Sonne der Nacht kicked my ass. That death metal like intensity is back full force and simply did not let me breathe. The interplay of male and female vocals was an interesting way to get me into the song and as the song progresses the riffs just do not stop. It's likely the highlight of the album for me.

The entirety of the second side keeps pace. At no point does the album let up from the intensity... and this is where it won me over. No it's not as good as Triade I was, but it's very close. I wish the album started off just a bit stronger, but after a brief falter it more than makes up for it. A worthy sequel and I'm looking forward to the third entry even more now.

Addendum after a few more listens: Phantasmagoria and the second song work in the context of the album. They are the most melodic songs by a long shot and they set the stage for what's to come. I think I was caught up on the melody because there are quite a few good riffs in these songs as well. Overall really strong album.