SEAR BLISS „“The Arcane Odyssey””

Music: Symphonic Black Metal
Country: Hungary
Web site: www.searbliss.hu
Cool Songs: Lost and Not Found, The Venomous Grace, Omen of Doom

SEAR BLISS has been releasing solid black metal albums since the mid nineties. Much like other black metal artists from the eastern block of Europe, the group’s brand of symphonic black metal rivals that of any Norwegian band, but due to geographic restraints, they only receive cult recognition. Their first two albums found release via Two Moons before landing on a larger distribution via Red Stream. Here the group released their next three albums. “The Arcane Odyssey,” the group’s sixth full-length studio album, comes by way of Candlelight, which finds the group reaching their largest audience of their career.

SEAR BLISS is a band totally deserving of the audience Candlelight has the potential to bring because they present new ideas to an old game. Due to the over saturation of black metal in today’s industry, an artist like SEAR BLISS is a needed refresher. Sure, “The Arcane Odyssey” contains all the markings of a black metal album: grim vocals, blasting beats (although in tempered quantities), cold guitar rhythms (see the album's opener “Blood on the Milky Way”) and symphonic instrumentation. Groups such as GRAVELAND and SUMMONING have incorporated horns, but SEAR BLISS does not resort to the artificial means like the above groups. SEAR BLISS makes use of actual trombones, trumpets and euphoniums, dramatically raising the level of intensity for each symphonic break. The complimenting instruments of trumpets and trombones work together in a similar fashion as a guitar and bass—the trombones provide a low backdrop to the brass ring of the trumpet, which creates a regal, triumphant tone.

“The Arcane Odyssey” doesn’t just contain classical elements, it slants toward folk music on the final track “Path to the Motherland.” This song sounds exactly as the title suggests—paying homage to the group’s Magyar heritage. “Path to the Motherland” is a mix of mid-paced black metal and ethnic instrumentation such as violin and other wind instrumentation besides the heavy brass (don’t ask me what they are using, I’m not sure and the promo doesn’t contain that info.) Their use of synth also serves to intensify the music, while at the same time creating an enchanting atmosphere.

SEAR BLISS’ use of brass brings so much to the music; it is easy to overlook the conventional black metal guitars, bass and drums. Guitarists István Neubrandt and Péter Kovács play the typical, but catchy black metal style, while keeping the riffing diverse. For instance, “Lost and Found” features a back-and-forth, low string-bending riff in the vein of style of ex-DANZIG guitarist John Christ. The guitars on “Thorns of Deception” sound as if Christian’s are being grinded in a massive garbage disposal, but like the preceding track, land on more devilish string bends. “The Venomous Grace” is the heaviest song, moving between OLD MAN’S CHILD type disharmonic high-chord progression and mammoth-sized, slow marches.

The music expertly crafted by the dark Huns known as SEAR BLISS should appeal to most fans of symphonic black metal, especially listeners who prefer grandiose, epic music. Those who only acknowledge the grim form of black metal and probably wouldn’t give SEAR BLISS a second thought, are denying their selves an album of true might and splendor.

note: 8.5/10

Tracklist

1. Blood On The Milky Way
2. A Deathly Illusion
3. Lost And Not Found
4. Thorns of Deception
5. The Venomous Grace
6. Omen of Doom
7. Somewhere
8. Path To The Motherland
Total playing time 47:37

Line-up

András Nagy – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
István Neubrandt – Guitars
Péter Kovács – Guitars
Zoltán Pál – Trombone
Zoltán Schönberger – Drums