Style: Atmospheric black metal, post-black metal (Harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Panopticon, Deafheaven, MØL
Country: United States (Minnesota)
Release date: 13 February 2026

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I believe in sudden moments when music and memories collide into newborn nostalgia, and my experience with Ashbringer’s new LP Subglacial only reinforced my faith. Flashback to three weeks ago: Iceland’s polar darkness tucked me into bed and greeted me when I awoke; swaths of barren, jagged landscape dominated the horizon; and deep paint strokes of violet, blue, and orange light only once illuminated the dawn. Descending into volcanic craters and peering into the vastness of space for a glimpse of geomagnetic lightshows is no doubt an adventurous holiday for someone condemned to the metropolitan chaos of London, but I found in it a chance for self-reflection and rejuvenation as my birthday would capstone the excursion. As the homeward bound plane departed, there was no weight on my shoulders; however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was an unfilled void. Upon returning to day-to-day reality, I sat down with a cappuccino¹ and spun Subglacial with a critical ear ready. And then it all clicked.

On Subglacial, Ashbringer weaves a focused, devastating journey into a six song runtime contrasting their previous release We Came Here to Grieve in 2023 which, admittedly, was “all over the place sonically”. Subglacial’s intentional shift towards a cohesive vision is more than a boon to listenability—it enables storytelling through thematic, and often clever, composition. The opener “My Flesh (Shows Its Weakness)” sets the atmosphere with gritty synths that plunge you into a blue, reflective tundra. This calm sets up an explosive black metal passage aptly tied to the lyrical content:

“My eyes fail me
My hands grow numb
I pull the thorn from my side
Letting my racing heart christen the dirt
Consecrated by the light of the fire”

Where a tremolo-laden guitar and blastbeat drumming combination could continue ad nauseum to build out the track’s runtime, sudden tempo shifts and dynamic riffing complement each lyrical line until an Mediterranean guitar reprieve takes the listener inside a chrysalis of suffering… only to be blown apart by a dramatic reprise of the track’s core chord progression. This intentional composition, demonstrated front to back, lifts the record above standard modern black metal which leans on “atmosphere” as an aesthetic rather than living, breathing instrumental and lyrical interplay.

Another strength throughout Subglacial is the use of hooks to emphasize Nick Stanger’s (guitars, vocals, synths) most potent prose. On eponymous “Subglacial”, the rushing waters of pain slow down into despondent, ballady passages reluctantly processing trauma: “When the sun shines bright and defeats the night (I’ll feel humble, at peace) / When the lake is still and the waters are clear (I’ll know I’ve found safe passage)”. Chanty background vocals cut through the mix to satisfyingly drive the point home before returning on the penultimate track “Send Him to the Lake” during the emotional climax to—as the title implies—”send him to the lake”. Narratively, to cleanse and dispel the darkness; musically, to sound fucking raw over a thrashy, chugging outro. Whilst not the only examples, Ashbringer’s affinity for catchiness juxtaposes hopefulness with the ever present frosty grip of fear, keeping the album’s core inspiration and cohesion at the forefront. 

Remember how Ashbringer played down the sonically explorative sound? If anything, Ashbringer undersells an evident diversity that evaporates the black metal glacier and reveals a brave new world. “Fleeing into Portals” encapsulates this smooth genre bending by showing us what Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here would sound like if David Gilmour and Roger Waters ingested a metric ton of SSRIs: progressive atmosphere building around despondent and melodic guitar soloing, bursting into pulsating, dreamy organs until the blastbeatings return.² The closing track “Vessels” notably carries a 2000s coming-of-age mid-western emo spirit in its guitar motif and chord voicings reminiscent of American Football. This affectionate touch wraps up the album on a personal level and shows that you can’t take Minneapolis out of these black metallers.

Speaking of “Vessels”, the ending isn’t necessarily abrupt but it does peter out in lieu of a more dramatic or bombastic ending. In the grand scheme, I like how it represents a drift into a peaceful land far from what held you down. Yet, there is something missing, like a callback to “My Flesh (Shows Its Weakness)”, to close the thematic circle. Likewise, “Waning Conviction” feels like it lacks a firm connection to the rest of the album aside from interluding between tracks. “Send Him to the Lake” takes the core elements of “Waning Conviction”—dissonant leads and sludgy riffs—and repackages them as a hauntingly comforting experience.

I can only speak superlatives of how Ashbringer captures the desolation of an ailing mind with a sharp, atmospheric black metal experience. While we might not all be submerged beneath a deep blue river of ice, vulnerability and self-reflection make Subglacial relatable and poignant. The compositions are decisively progressive for the black metal genre and offer both sublime musical performances and accessibility to skeptical audiences who haven’t quite sunk their teeth into shrieks and dissonance. To that point, it has the potential to stand as a classic like Behemoth’s The Satanist or Deafheaven’s Sunbather as a gateway to harsher musical realms. What I found in the end was not a shared tortured experience, but the soundtrack to a mirror world where our deepest contemplations exist in vastness. For me, this space will always be Iceland; for you, it’s wherever you find safe passage.

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Recommended Tracks: Subglacial, Send Him to the Lake, Vessels
You may also like: Temple of Void, Eave, Rictus
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Ashbringer is:
– Nick Stanger (guitars, vocals, synths)
– Jackson Catton (guitars, backing vocals, synths)
– Nathan Wallestad (bass)
– Andy Meyer (drums)

1. With complete offense to Italy, cappuccinos are acceptable past noon. Fight me.
2. Until morale improves, logically.