Review by Alex on April 15, 2020.

Within the kaleidoscope, a sacred and hidden illumination moves about; its effect, of a record magnitude, an omnipresent force. One dimensional from a distance all the while theatrically comprised of many an attribute, this semblance, this deception will cause some to encounter pains when identifying what exactly Sacred Colour of the Source of Light is. Through a sound fully ornamented, Golden Light's debut Sacred Colour of the Source of Light, triggers a trance of spellbinding serenity, that an emancipating, sorcerean shimmer would beam and strike the third eye, reconnecting one with a lost past and path to divinity. Whether only a visitor or have come to stay, Sacred Colour of the Source of Light ensues upon one a comfort unlike any, with one hand in ethereal mysticism and the other in an earthly dread.

Out the royal womb with 'Scepter of Solar Idolatry', Golden Light shows the listener that beyond the obvious iconic black metal echo, there is more than meets the ear. A clerical movement of ambient sounds and frequencies proceed to grab from the speeding lick of the snare, cymbals and toms, its dominance and direction of the music. Beginning slow, it would accelerate and reshape often enough to snatch the trancing attention of the listener and introduce one to a deeper, noble sway, ever tightening its grip as it takes you through 'The Western Gate'. By now the wander has intensified and has pushed into overdrive, as the deep-seated-synth breaks ground and intertwines with both the crash of the drum-kit and the ambient movements occurring beneath it. However, struck by a lo-fi buzz, the cloudy guitar tones heard have their own effect to fulfill, though they would follow the rhythm of the drums and act almost independent of the auric celestial shadow hovering triumphantly above Sacred Colour of the Source of Light, its strings are somehow still mended with grace into a fabric now serpentine.

Entombed by an array of sublime chord progressions, a noble ambiance and a hypnotizing drum sequence, a voice from within the spectral chasm pelts and carries with it the oriflamme of the sonic chaos. The emitting tone, like a shallow pool of water, does not drown or consume the music; instead, like all other aspects, falls into place with discipline and in subservience to the unison. The polytonality of a song like 'Dawn of History' is the glamour within Sacred Colour of the Source of Light; it’s this constant aggression of sounds that make the album such a delight. Like Trelldom's 'Steg', but with a lot more happening beneath the synchronized guitars and drumming in addition to an almost whispering emanation of vocals, Sacred Colour of the Source of Light bares down with a dolce and voguish immensity. Feel free to gaze, but be warned, it is the light that is most deceptive.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Nathan on March 15, 2021.

Leave it to The Artisan Era to pluck a band that had completely flown under the radar and thrust them into my regular listening rotation. At first you aren’t really sure what this is trying to be. Is it another wanky Inferi clone? A more progressive version of Insomnium, or perhaps a more technical Be’lakor? Early Cynic reimagined for the modern era?

It’s only when you get halfway through Impermanence and feel like it just started that you realize Stortregn is much, much more than the sum of whatever their influences are. This is a twelve-star buffet of guitar noodles stringing you in every which direction, yet they seem to know exactly how long to stick around before they wear out their welcome. There are epic riffs, catchy riffs, techy riffs, beautiful riffs, all garnished with delicious bass noodles, powerful roars, and drumming with fills that are as smooth as room-temperature butter.

Normally I’m not big on the “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to music in general, I tend to prefer it when sounds are integrated, but Stortregn are master songwriters, with a chemistry and necessity to the way one section of a song flows into another. They overlap tracks frequently, using a lull in energy to shift into the next movement, creating that “full album” feel as the ups and downs are strung between the songs. The careful balance between the Naglfar/Dissection-esque melodic black metal, the progressive melodic death, and the slick fretboard mastery constantly keeps the unexpected coming at you with the entire album constantly adding a new movement to the story. Stortregn try a little bit of everything on this album and they nail whatever they attempt - they’re the jack of all trades with a few aces up their sleeve, and they’ve structured the full album in a way that you’re always simultaneously enjoying the moment you’re in and looking forward to what’s coming up next. I can listen to Impermanence three times in a row and pick a different element to dial in on each time around, thoroughly enthralled the entire time.

There are a few things that set Stortregn above the pack of bands that attempt this type of approach. For one, the chemistry and give-and-take between the band members is done perfectly. You can tell every single one of these guys are extremely talented, but they each take turns giving each other the spotlight. Sometimes the focus will be on the guitars - every song has like a minimum of six solos and 9 times out of 10 they’re filthy. Sometimes, the bass will make its way into the foreground, sometimes the vocalist’s roar with incredible resonance and duration forces its way in, and occasionally the drums pull out a jazzy backbeat that catches your attention, in attention to the smooth, efficient blasting with lots of texture keeping the songs moving - the extended section in 'Timeless Splendor' being a notable example (the bass lick in that part is quite sexy as well).

Really, if I keep going, every song is going to be mentioned because all of them have something that makes me go “shit that was cool” at least once. I am thoroughly floored I have never heard this band before, and I am going to have to binge on their discography now because for an extreme metal nut like myself, this is a smorgasbord of delicious music that is both insatiably addictive and multifaceted enough to keep me coming back for a long time. I will be very surprised if this isn’t still in my regular listening rotation by the end of the year. Yet another home run from this fantastic label, and what luck, Stortregn has four albums before this I have to catch up on now!

Rating: 9 out of 10