Review: Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa – The Blossoming

Style: Progressive Metal, Black Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: White Ward, Enslaved, A Forest of Stars
Country: France
Release date: 7 June 2024

What is it with progressive black metal this year? The genre’s having a renaissance, it seems. Ihsahn released one of the best albums in his storied career; Lamentari finally delivered their debut LP and it was a rhapsodic wonder; Borknagar gave us yet another collection of folk-tinged bangers; and Aquilus gifted a third symphonic beauty. I was never a great fan of black metal but my top albums so far this year are dominated by the stuff. And here comes another: will The Blossoming continue the trend or are Ætheria Conscientia going to hail the end of the prog black hot streak? 

I remember listening to Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa‘s previous album, Corrupted Pillars of Vanity, and wanting to like it more than I actually did (although juggernaut opener “Asporhos’ Altering Odyssey” was a great track). The French quintet have gone through some line-up changes since then, and describe The Blossoming as a “renewal” which sees them incorporating new elements such as clean vocals, synths, and psychedelic influences into their sax-laden prog black stylings. Lyrically, the album’s story is one of cosmic horror: a group of space travellers on the verge of death find refuge on a planet they call Haesperadh, only to find that a native species lives here and abducts them, forcing them to integrate with the mycelial network that governs the planet, with horrific consequences. 

Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa embody some of the best aspects of progressive black metal: stellar production, ambitious composition, and genre experimentation. Sax was their unique selling point, and although they managed to integrate it into their sound more effectively than progressive death darlings Rivers of Nihil (damn right I’m ready to fight over that hot take), it nevertheless felt a touch gimmicky at times. Here Guru Pope’s sax is more seamlessly woven into the compositions, an important texture but not a crutch. It’s an admirable approach: sax is so often a bombastic instrument, the showstopper for your piece, but on The Blossoming it goes where it’s needed, soloing when required, never overwhelming the other instruments, and bolstering the background atmosphere or rhythmic texture elsewhere (“Endless Cycle” features some great examples of the latter). 

Psychedelia is the other important change here, ramping up the weirdness factor with eerie, atmospheric passages. Clean vocals are almost always leveraged towards the trippy vibe, as with the contribution of Cindy Sanchez on “Astral Choir”, and the slow build-up and ritualistic clean vocals provided by Dolorès Anapeste (who also guests for a fantastically creepy section on the title track) on “Daimu Kadasdra Ko Antall” which leads into the Virikoï croaking in their alien language over a pensive Phygian guitar lick. Around two minutes into “Wrath of the Virikoï” things get into Elder ranges of tripped out stonerality, far removed from the band’s usual style, and yet fitting in seamlessly. At these moments, The Blossoming sounds more like Psychonaut’s last album, taking on a hippyish, post-metal character. 

But the heaviness is still here in spades, the album alternating between urgent blast-beat driven heaviness, and doomier moments. Indeed, the two heaviest tracks on the album are inextricably linked by sharing compositional DNA: the doomy riff that emerges around the 4:00 mark in “Haesperadh” is later reprised on “The Blossoming” making for a deeply satisfying throughline of dread (narratively speaking, it also links the moment of first contact with the ultimate consequence of that first contact, which is a neat little touch). Traditional blackened tremolo on thicker Enslaved-esque rhythms (“Wrath of the Virikoï” really ladles on some good Enslaved inspired work) vie alongside the sax and complex blast beats, contrasting with slower, doomier riffs and post-metal sections—Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa borrow liberally from across subgenres to great effect. 

At a svelte forty-four minutes in length, The Blossoming feels tight, even when its six tracks are rather sprawling in scope, often flowing into one another, lending to the sense that this is one long story. The consolidation of their sound here is reminiscent of Dreadnought’s on 2022’s The Endless, which saw the epic post-black doom group really pare down the excess for a sleeker new form. While some of the longer, pure black metal sections feel a little lost in the weeds, these moments are, thankfully, rare, and the renewed focus on progression stands at the forefront. 

Bands often claim that an album marks a new chapter for them and it’s usually PR bullshit, but on The Blossoming the renewal is palpable. Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa‘s otherworldly evolution sees psychedelia, synth and clean vocals help them more successfully evoke their otherworldly subject matter while tightening their compositional skills and reigning in their focus. The run of great 2024 progressive black metal continues unabated.

Recommended tracks: Astral Choir, Haesperadh, The Blossoming
You may also like: Dreadnought, Ashbreather, Kekal, Naeramarth
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Frozen Records – Facebook | Official Website

Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa is:
– Alexis Pascal (bass)
– P.A. Cantat (guitars)
– Paul Breheret (vocals, percussions, drum programming, lyrics)
– Tristan Brachi (guitars, vocals, lyrics)
– Valentin Henault (live drums, drum programming)