Progressive metal and Egyptology. Not perhaps the most obvious pairing, but one that Australian band Black Sea of Trees have dived head first into with their new, second, album Cult of the Sun, the follow up to 2023’s The Spiritual Beast.

BLACK SEA OF TREES

Akhenaten may not be the most famous of the Egyptian pharaoh’s, but most readers with even a minimal amount of interest in the topic will have heard of Tutankhamun, who succeeded Akhenaten and indeed may have been his son. His reign during the mid 14th century saw the pharaoh abandon the polytheistic ancient Egyptian religion, in favour of Atenism, worship of the god Aten. That Tutankhamun, who was born Tutankhaten, restored polytheism to Egypt in one of the greatest restoration periods in ancient Egyptian history tells you much about the fate of Akhenaten. It it this fate that Black Sea of Trees explore here.

Cult Of The Sun, according to the band, ‘follows a protagonist chosen by a sun god to overthrow an old kingdom and usher in a spiritual revolution. Promised dominion over heaven and earth, the new messianic king rises through devotion and violence. That ascent gives way to doubt as prophetic dreams and cosmic signs reveal an unavoidable end. The sun transforms into a black hole, consuming the world, time, and existence itself. The story traces a holy rise, a disillusioned reckoning, and total annihilation.’

SONIC VOILENCE / PASSIVE MELODY

The album begins with the atmospheric Divinity, leading into the slow burning A Red Dawn. This song ‘depicts the protagonist [the aforementioned Akhenaten] entering into a covenant with the sun god’ and erupts with a furious roar. Listeners unfamiliar with Black Sea of Trees will be drawn to the powerful vocals, which combine a broad range of styles, moving from death-metal styles to sung lyrics, and back, reminding this reviewer of Rivers of Nihil and similar acts. That’s not to say that Black Sea of Trees are derivative in any way, and the influences on this album are broad and varied. The band themselves cite Opeth, Cult of Luna, Russian Circles, and Karnivool.

Servant to the Sun continues the narrative with the trance-like state of Akhenaten following his selection depicted during the middle section of the song. Visions of a Crimson Moon, in many ways one of the most intriguing tracks on the album, has serious meditative qualities whilst never losing its roots in metal. Flamenco-inspired guitar is evident on Omen, whilst Field of Reeds offers more acoustic melodies. Closer, Eclipse, features the NASA-recorded sounds of a black hole before the album dissolves away.

Cult of the Sun is a journey through time and, literally, space. The album vacillates from sonic violence to passive melody.

Black Sea Of Trees: Bandcamp

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