Style: Progressive black metal, black metal, death metal, progressive metal (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Enslaved, Thy Catafalque, Ne Obliviscaris, Opeth
Country: United States
Release date: 8 May 2026

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The famous poet and children’s fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen is attributed with writing the quote “When words fail, music speaks.” For example, how can one accurately tell a story about the liminal space between consciousness and the dull state of rest, a state of mind that can be felt but not logically processed? The Philadelphian progressive black metal band IATT return with their fourth full-length album, Etheric Realms of the Night, to describe this story in musical form. Fully detached from their early metalcore days, IATT’s more recent releases Nomenclature and Magnum Opus bathe in the visceralness of death metal while pairing it with soulful melodies in a similar way to Opeth. Etheric Realms proves to be IATT’s most experimental release to date, combining black, death, and progressive metal elements with unconventional orchestration that’s dark, ethereal, and sensational. With this instrumental concoction, IATT gets the chance to prove whether or not Etheric Realms tells a story truly worth the sonic waves it was written on.  

Etheric Realms of the Night is nothing if not maximalist. Like the state of mind that rests between wary consciousness and deep sleep, the album brings about a boundary-less, hypnagogic journey through its runtime. After a minute of an acoustic intro with a sampling of Alan Watts’s “Dream of Life” speech, opening track “Drift Away” explodes in a sonic whirlwind that tears through the album. Don’t let the dance of the guitars and Didier Malherbe’s buoyant flute melodies seduce you for too long, or you’ll get your feet tangled up in the duple-to-triplet time changes that follow. “Pavor Nocturnus” features a spunky piano/bass duet that is supported by heavy brass, playful guitar melodies, and a variety of atmospheric sound effects. The percussive and brass liberties that are taken in “To Lie Beneath” whimsically contribute to one of the most jovial guitar melodies I’ve heard in death metal. Etheric Realms even uses prominent spoken-word in tracks like “Walk Amongst” and “Hypnos” to further the theme of psychological exploration. There’s more than enough energy and genre-blending to go around, with few moments in the album allowing for lucid or auditory reprieve. Etheric Realms’ experimentation is lawless, yet its sheer energy and confidence keep the listening experience engaging.

In the theme of creating a dizzying, busy soundscape, Etheric Realms gives time for the spotlight to shine on prog metal’s favorite woodwind: the saxophone. “Walk Amongst” heavily features the wide range of Jørgen Munkeby’s (Shining) skillful solo playing. Falling for the buttery timbre of the saxophone’s soaring melodies is easy—especially how they’re accompanied by Jay Briscoe’s harshes—in the track’s massive moments, or the quiet, trilling accompaniments Munkeby also offers. His technical prowess lets other musical lines on “Walk Amongst” shine brighter as he purposefully blends with the others rather than playing over them, including a section of oneiric spoken word that plays above an accompanying line of relaxed jazz—the genre blending of Etheric Realms becomes more than clear by this point. IATT continue to add varying degrees of exploratory melodies that surround the saxophone until the track becomes a high-tempo, chaotic mess of sound. Of the droves of experimentation done on Etheric Realms, such bold use of a non-traditional metal instrument ends up becoming one of the shining strengths of the album. 

In the way that our REM cycles climb and fall, IATT naturally dedicate some runtime to slower, ethereal melodies to balance the organized chaos that rips through much of Etheric Realms. Many of these fleeting moments dip into the pot of atmospheric black metal, allowing room for recurring musical motifs to ebb and flow throughout Etheric Realms. Orchestral instruments shine yet again in these soft instances, including a dreamy, gorgeous violin solo in “Quietus” by Benjamin Karas that dampens the piercing nature of Briscoe’s black metal harshes. When the piano isn’t entertaining dance-like melodies, it gently accompanies the main musical lines with soft pentatonic scales and lots of pedal, adding to the incorporeal elements of Etheric Realms. However, given the extent of chaotic melodies present in the album, a bit more time dedicated to the relaxed and orchestral moments would truly make the listening experience feel seamless. As engaging an album as Etheric Realms is, the large amount of sheer sound makes the album a bit dense and hard to parse through if you’re not fully engaged. 

IATT demonstrate how their musical composition does, in fact, convey a sonic story that goes beyond words. In the same way that different states of consciousness have varying degrees of articulation, Etheric Realms explores all sorts of musical states, from organized sonic chaos to gentle, restful themes. IATT’s forward-thinking spirit remains strong throughout the revolving door of musical motifs, keeping their experimental and boundary-pushing identity at the forefront. While the unpredictability of the music is certainly entertaining, it can be overwhelming for those not entirely married to the experimental sides of black and death metal. Regardless, the talent and music ability of each member doesn’t go unnoticed, and I have no doubt I’ll be hearing Etheric Realms of the Night in my lucid state as I drift off to sleep for the next few days. 

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Recommended tracks: Drift Away, To Lie Beneath, Quietus, Walk Amongst
You may also like: Liturgy, The Scalar Process, Ashen Horde
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Black Lion Records

IATT is:
– Paul Cole (Drums)
– Joe Cantamessa (Guitar)
– Alec Pezzano (Guitar, Orchestration, Album Artwork)
– Jay Briscoe (Vocals, Bass)
With guests:
– Jørgen Munkeby (Saxophone)
– Didier Malherbe (Flute)
– Benjamin Karas (Violin)