Introduction
Band: Askon
Album: Sacred Silence
Origin: Bayreuth, Bavaria – Germany
Genre: Blackened death metal
Label: Independant
The German underground band Askon have been tormenting society since the year of the Norwegian butter crisis, 2011. Now, what does Askon have to do with the horrible crisis, you might ask? Well, nothing. But Askon’s new full-length release, Sacred Silence, runs like melted butter and fills all the cracks in my brain just like on a piece of toast. This hits both my sweet and savory spots…
The band consists of duo Manuel Roß “Sarolf” (vocals) and multi-instrumental J.D. Redbeard. Askon has previously released one full-length album and a demo. Their music is very death metal influenced but adds nice touches of black. The great vocals done by Sarolf for instance, is a good reference of this. Sacred Silence is their new full-length and was released on the 6th of December 2023. The album is recorded in J.D. Redbeards very own studio and all mixing / mastering is done by him.
I’ve spun the record a lot now, and my review is conducted below.
Album: Sacred Silence
The norse thematics priding the killer album cover is made by the talented Swedish artist Vilhelm Thoresson. The art depicts the two band members on both sides of the hammer Mjølnir. Vocalist Sarolf is depicted on the left and J.D is depicted on the right. The figure in front is not Maria of Heilung, although that was my first thought, it still depicts an old germanic priest!
The album itself consists of 11 tracks and has a total runtime of 47 minutes.
Heavily rooted in death metal, Askon still masterfully blends in the black. The opening track “Old Man’s Curse” shares a simular riff as Vreid’s recent track “Flammen”. The German’s don’t save any gunpowder and has all guns blazing with carpet-bombing drums, rapid fire vocals and brawling guitars. The production of this album is just about flawless, the sound is great and well mixed. The sound is much purer in contrast to their previous album “The End is Near”. A disliking for some, and love to others.
The shrieking black metal vocals and death metal guitars sound great to me. I also thoroughly enjoy the lyrical flow of the tracks. Especially the chorus of “Ashes Over Variszi” which can be heard at the 3:12 minute mark. The album hits the sweetspot for me with its many groovy riffs that hook me in and makes me go nodding like a dashboard hula dancer.
The album offers various song structures. More atmospheric black sections are present on songs like “Blackened Forest” at the 3:02 minute mark. While the track “Sacred Silence” is packed with death metal riffs from the first beat and “Still Alive” carries a death metal vocal style.
Overall a great sounding album with bands like Sacrilegious Impalement, Grima, Khazaddum and Vreid coming to mind as musical references!
Conclusion
The duo in Askon has taken their music a step further and manages to share all their talent in this record. Sacred Silence is a heavy and energetic album, to much liking to someone like me who gets my dose of slow atmo black filled quickly. The album is well worth a chance and Askon has spent a lot of time in the shadows, now is time for some black flame!
If you’re not the kind of person to listen to whole albums, I have two suggestions for you. Track two “Insidious Empire” and track three “Ashes Over Variszi”. These tracks show off Askon’s might, balancing both genres and forging them together as great as Sindre and Brokk did Mjølnir.
Rating: 9/10
Listen to the album yourself on the YouTube link below or find it on streaming platforms. Physical copy is also available!
Thoughts?
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