Astrophobos streaming LP, 'Remnants of Forgotten Horrors'

by Doug Moore

A few weeks ago, the POLAR VORTEX inspired us to put together a playlist of cold-themed black metal songs. The weather turned unseasonably warm for a bit afterwards, but now that we’re settling back into more traditional January temperatures, the frigid tones of Sweden’s Astrophobos seem apropos.

They’re set to release their debut LP, Remnants of Forgotten Horrors, on January 24 via Triumvirate Records, and we’re streaming it ahead of its release over at Invisible Oranges today. It’s both seasonal and a good look for fans of Dissection, Dawn, and pretty much any other black metal band that’s all about majestic, bum-me-out harmonies. From our writeup:

Judging by their song titles, they don’t sing about COLD or WOODS; “Astrophobos” is a Lovecraft poem about the night sky. But to me, the vibe is pure blizzard — all icy diatonic harmonies delivered by intense speedpicking and driving, trebly drums. Blizzards are violent events, after all. I’ve heard countless permutations of these riffs before, and yet Astrophobos are making inroads in my brain. It’s tempting to attribute this fact to “riff dynamics,” or “songwriting chops,” or any number of other hand-wavey terms. But in reality, sometimes you can’t deny a familiar, beloved sound played to perfection. Normally I find such exercises tedious, but this one delivers on its promises.

Read the rest of the writeup over at IO. Stream the LP in full below…

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