Lustre

Wonder

Written by: MST on 23/09/2013 16:49:50

Lustre is a one-man ambient black metal project, and the man behind the Lustre moniker is Henrik "Nachtzeit" Sunding from Sweden. Nachtzeit releases a lot of music; since starting Lustre in 2008 he has released three full-length albums and five EP's before releasing this year's "Wonder", Lustre's fourth LP - and he even has other projects running on the side. However, this is my first encounter with Nachtzeit's music, and I was initially very impressed.

Stylistically Lustre are heavily inspired by Burzum, and probably also Summoning to a lesser extent. The black metal part of the music is limited to extremely distorted guitars providing a thick, but quiet foundation in the background with simple drums ranging from slow rhythms to double kick at the very fastest. There are high pitch shrieks in two of the four songs, but they're simply there for the atmosphere as it's impossible to make out any words being uttered. So, the usual black metal parts of the music are extremely simple. Nachtziet rely on his keyboard skills to create enchanting atmospheres that conjure up images of enchanted meadows and mystical creatures, and that is exactly what "Wonder" sounds like.

In terms of sound Lustre are definitely closest to Burzum, but the atmosphere and mood is closer to Summoning. The keyboards in songs like "A Summer Night" and especially album closer and the absolute highlight, "Petrichor", are what makes Lustre's music what it is: epic and majestic, yet calming and atmospheric. Without those fantastic keyboards, however, there's not much left of Lustre's sound, as parts of the first two songs, "Moonlit Meadow" and "Green Worlds", make very clear. There are moments in the first half of the album that sound like they aren't going anywhere, but then the keyboards kick in to salvage the atmosphere, making the entire album a good listening experience as a whole.

Lustre is a band that requires a certain mindset and mood to fully appreciate. "Wonder" works best when listened to alone in the dark of night, as the slow music and entrancing combination of guitars and keyboards go hand in hand with increasing exhaustion. It's not a completely consistent album however, as the quality of the songs varies quite a bit. With no bad tracks and some absolutely brilliant ones however, "Wonder" is a very good album that fans of the genre should get their hands on immediately.

Download: A Summer Night, Petrichor
For The Fans Of: Burzum, Summoning
Listen: Youtube

Release date: 23.09.2013
Nordvis Produktion

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