The remarkable ARKONA - pioneers of second wave Polish Black Metal since 1993 - commence partnership with Debemur Morti Productions in style via the magnificent "Lunaris", the most fully realised expression of their singular vision. Consolidating and updating the earthen grandiosity perfected on classic 1996 debut Imperium, ARKONA have created the perfect synthesis of forward-reaching Pagan Black Metal, dark neo-classical melodicism, corrupted romanticism and raging existential power. Meticulous, harmonious tremolo riffs and reverberant leads are wistful and strident in equal proportion, dovetailing seamlessly with layered orchestration to converge in emotive climatic revelation. Water-tight rhythms cascade in rolling waves of authority; potent hyper-blasts performed on natural snare effect a ritualistic offering to the infinite. Slower movements expose the weight of the players, the gravitas, the import of the message. The spectre of folk music fortifies the melodies, subtly informing robust song-structures which reawaken the collective unconscious to past and future majesties just out of reach. "Lunaris" is a palimpsest of haunted modernity with an underlying raw howl straight from primitive lifeblood. With this emphatic new record, ARKONA trigger a free-fall deep into the metaphysical dream logic of the genre.
