Review by Jeger on June 3, 2025.

I do love a good Black Metal mystery group. Germany's Empeiria - a duo whose identities are unknown. It's their music that does the speaking, and with their latest release, Empeiria has chosen to explore themes related to existential dread, renewal and realization. Gnosis? Could be. We all know what it is to traverse life's woeful paths; those treacherous avenues where doubt looms and the promise of a brighter day is but a faded whisper. But if we continue down further, we reach a position of deeper understanding. Further still into the realm of self-actualization will we find ourselves if we are brave enough, wise enough. So many of us waste our lives. We toil away for things we think we want or need, and when they come, where's the fulfillment? Nowhere to be found, because we're living a delusion! A perpetual spinning of the wheel that takes us nowhere, and then? Death so absolute… A life wasted. On June 6, Empeiria will release The Ascent: Szenen Der Katharsis via Vendetta.

π and η - harbingers of renewal, as opposed to what is the depressive norm when it comes to Black Metal existentialism - are not just projecting a unique conceptual vision for the genre, but they're also displaying Black Metal savvy that is tethered to Scandinavian tradition: cold, brutal, dark and accursedly melodic. Another brilliant acquisition for Vendetta. And as the seconds begin to unravel, it's to the sound of a frigid winter tempest; a penetrating gale set to ominous chants during the opener, "I". Followed by the momentum of a masterfully campaigned onslaught; redolent to the current Azaghal era in "II". Air-tight yet delightfully unpredictable, epically composed yet perspirant of a rosy sense of familiarity all the same.

Time - perceived as linear, but factually revolutionary - a cruel spell upon us all that circles back over the dread of our existence with all new, but intimate pain every other day it seems. The suffering may be packaged differently but it hits all the same vulnerable spots. If we do what we've always done, we'll get what we've always had. The Ascent: Szenen Der Katharsis is about breaking the cycle, an awakening, an epiphany that kindles a new way of thinking and of living until the flames of enlightenment completely engulf our being; burning away the costume; exposing new skin. And while "IV" plays out, it's to Inquisition-level ferocity, only choppier, deadlier… Coming out of our existential coma now; awakened to the sound of primitive chants that are backdropped by Rotting Christ-like theatrics.

Production quality for The Ascent: Szenen Der Katharsis is something to behold - a stark actualization of all phases: defined and clear, but reckless and haphazard. You can hear fingers sliding over guitar strings. It's like you're right there in the studio. Whoever engineered this record spent little time smoothing out the rough parts. A nice balance of crispness and rawness is what we have here.

Recognizable now is our transition. Left in the past is our self of old. "VII" - an acoustic intro to signal the tranquil experience to come. We've finally realized the captive nature of yesteryear and are now embracing the promise of a substantial future. A deeply contemplative sense of liberation washes over us now in these closing minutes of what has been a transformative experience. A blaze of glory midway through as tremolos wail and double-bass currents rumble. An almost medieval vibe saturates the soundscape as more gentle acoustic arrangements unfold. Hope? Renewal? Scarcely traversed concepts within the scope of Black Metal, but Empeiria pulls it off, and The Ascent: Szenen Der Katharsis is an accomplishment to be proud of.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10