Black metal is about the atmosphere it creates. There’s even a sub-genre dubbed atmospheric black metal. It’s very difficult to do well, and for some reason, it’s immediately apparent when a band isn’t serious about it or isn’t “kvlt.” You just can’t replicate what was going on in Norway in the early 90s, and it’s potentially still the most gatekept area of metal.

Imagine a Norwegian woman moving to Australia and breaking into the genre. If anyone is going to accomplish this task, they must bring the brutality, the eerie, unsettling soundscapes, and of course, the tunes. It also doesn’t hurt to have black-and-white band photos. Coming off the heels of 2023’s Disappointment (not a critique, but the album name), Incandescent has Shaq-sized shoes to fill.

One of the essential parts of black metal is emotion because of the suffocation that the music can cause. All you need to do is listen to the lyrics of “If you’d had a heart, you’d have known that mine was breaking” around a minute into “The Ocean.” Not long after, the song turns into a churning, slithering rumble. If the first attempt doesn’t punch you in the gut, three minutes into it, “If you’d had a heart, you’d have given me safe harbor” will add a slap in the face to endure. The riff will make you swing your hair, and the lyrics will strip away your soul.

On the softer side is the track immediately following, “Radiant.” There’s light guitar picking and gorgeous clean vocals while still bestowing a sense of doom. After two minutes in, those vocals continue in the background while Em brings another roiling riff, and it glides perfectly into the next track.

I’m not going to talk about that one, though. I’d rather attack the closer, “Manifest.” It’s rather quiet for the first minute, then goes into doom territory with screeched vocals and an ounce of reverb. If you’re already listening or have before, Em’s vocals are very well enunciated and easy to understand, so the connection with them can be attained. There are around 4 minutes of doom until intensity threatens to undo and destroy everything, just before it all ends.

To put it succinctly, Incandescent conjures a variety of moods, none of which feel forced. 2023’s Disappointment was and is an excellent album, so there were in my eyes large shoes to fill. I don’t know what size shoes Em wears, but she fits in them nicely. Perhaps hers are even bigger than Disappointment’s? I don’t know as analogies are not one of my strengths. What I’m trying to say is that this album is a step forward while not losing any sense of its predecessor. I’m not the authority, but you’re reading for a reason, and I believe Fryktelig Støy is going to be a name on many lips soon if there’s any justice in the world. In my country, there isn’t, but I hear there is elsewhere!

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