Review: Narbeleth – A Pale Crown

Review by Justin Joseph

Narbeleth – A Pale Crown

Record Label: Folter Records

Year: 2024

Rating: 9/10

Throughout the walk of life, the need for stimulation for the senses can be overwhelming, where vision becomes blurred and tainted by that which is frivolous masquerading as beauty, true power. Yet, its true form is hollow, a husk. We become disillusioned and forget that which can be carved from the purest of emotions, the mind discards that which is simple for an object that seems complex…as unorthodox as this may seem, I truly believe in the simplicity that is lost along the way, this is where the most honest pieces are born.

“A Pale Crown” by Narbeleth is a testament whereby the human soul can manifest the most potent art from a single flame, in other words, it takes naught the conflagration of colors to create such a piece, instead the very structure that stands is crafted from a minimalistic stripped down approach, yet its candor exudes a robust and palpable sensation.

Narbeleth

Tracks such as “To Step Beyond the Veil” and “Of Moonlight and Spirits” accentuate the atmosphere presented before the listener, elevating the aura into a sensation that feels animated in its motion of language. The style for which Narbeleth paints fuses the tendons of Black Metal with this primal spirit. This spirit knows not the taste of light, in my opinion, this is the true zenith, wherein the songs’ architecture of the strings and percussions, the serpentine rhythm they undergo gives onto the ambience a sensation that the mind years to return to, to retrace these patterns and inhale its essence.

The sculptor who takes the crude elements, and from his hands and labor, the toiling of his spirit into the physical form and image takes shape, but it is naught just the image but the actual touch, the rawness of forging such creation should be viewed as the true essence. In my opinion, this is the crowning jewel of “A Pale Crown” for within its expulsion, the will to conjure the most archaic energies from such crude and raw variables, molding it into and weaving it into the band’s spell, this is the true crux of this listening experience.