Ash Borer – “Ash Borer” – [Profound Lore]

2011 debut abum from some of the alleged ‘Cascadian Black Metal’ scene’s less retarded emissaries, coming out of hippie haven Humboldt County, CA. They seem to have a healthy respect for their musical elders, a virtue sorely lacking from the uninspired ‘atmospherics’ of certain other Northwestern bands they probably get lumped together with by stupid, stupid journalists. There’s just a little bit of Enslaved (and more than a few other classic European bands) in here and of course a healthy dose of Weakling, who for better or worse paved the way for all this newer American Ambient Black Metal stuff. However: despite a few pockets of drone/guitar minimalism (and some exceptionally well-incorporated synthesizer parts), what I think people actually mean when they call Ash Borer ‘ambient,’ is ‘melodic,’ which this is is– but it’s also very raw and aggressive a good portion of the time, and these more traditional moments are where it really thrives, thanks in part to great drumming. Three long tracks; t.2 goes in for the kill immediately while 1 and 3 build to a frenzy from doom intros. The last and longest track is more varied and dynamic than the first two, and ‘prettier,’ as if to cap off (but not, unfortunately, top) the earlier rage with a finale of melancholic resignation. I didn’t like this all the time, but each track has more than enough cool stuff going on to justify a listen: hints at the greatness to be achieved on 2012′s ‘Cold Of Ages.’ If this is hipster Black Metal then file under ‘may continue living’ alongside Bosse-de-Nage.