ALBUM REVIEW: SULDUSK – ‘’ANTHESIS”

By Carina Lawrence

Australian dark folk/blackgaze project SULDUSK, founded by the gifted Emily Highfield, released their debut album, ‘Lunar Falls’ in 2019, impressing the masses, including Napalm Records, who signed them to their roster in 2023. Now, with the sophomore release titled, ‘Anthesis’, they are continuing to enthral and expand their unique and fascinating sound, which covers dark folk, prog, doom, blackgaze and black metal elements, a wild and eclectic mix!

The atmospheric opening track ‘Astraeus’ starts with creepy breathing, giving off a sense of foreboding yet ethereal vibe primarily through the instruments and serene, beautiful vocals. Setting up the theme that darkness lies ahead, with a glimmer of hope looming.

The vast ‘Verdalet’ blazes from the start, showing the shocking but brilliant transition from clean to fierce vocals from Emily, being a massive contrast to the opener, and the result is gripping and powerful.

‘Crowns Of Esper’ embraces nature with the sounds of birds having an airy ambient feel but with an ominous note intertwined. It is one of the longest tracks on the album and contains delightful acoustic guitar and delicate vocals, giving it a very dreamy effect.

Continuing the nature theme, ‘Crystalline’ is inspired by the Ocean. It perfectly reflects this with its melodic transitions from calm to aggressive, like the changing tides of the sea, which can be so peaceful and, at other times, wild and fierce.

The soft ‘Sphaera’ has beautiful complimentary vocals from Shane Mulholland, an excellent pairing with Emily’s graceful tones.

The soul-stirring title track, ‘Anthesis’, lulls you into a false sense of comfort and calm before exploding with exciting twists and turns. It is haunting and robust throughout, making a perfect embodiment of the album’s sound.

‘Mythical Creatures’ is a delightful, warming folk offering with a soothing, beautiful cello and all elements working together perfectly.

‘Leaven’ displays more harmonious vocals with Shane, showing the pleasant, warmer side of the band but always with heavy undertones woven in flawlessly.

The final track appropriately titled ‘A Luminous End’ (feat. Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous) is one of the more diverse and heaviest, with heavy outbursts breaking through the calming notes. It is a very dynamic and enthralling one to end with and is also the longest, making it both epic in sound and length at 7 minutes long. Fitting the title and themes, it feels almost enlightening and triumphant, following the journey of going through a somewhat brutal process to bloom and come out stronger on the other side.

‘Anthesis’ feels like an incredible fight between light and darkness; when the hazy bleakness starts to consume, the light and beauty shine through and always prevail, making for a captivating and cathartic experience which perfectly captures the ethos of the album’s title, with Anthesis meaning to bloom. Still, the progress of growth can be a challenging but necessary and worthwhile battle; in this case, it explores themes of grief and acceptance, delivered in an enthralling sound, making it easy to get swept up and carried off by its fragile yet dark consuming currents.

Anthesis will be released on March 1, 2024 via Napalm Records.

For More Info on Suldusk Visit:
https://www.suldusk.com

https://www.facebook.com/Suldusk

https://www.instagram.com/suldusk

https://www.youtube.com/@suldusk3056