Let’s be honest, Poland has always been a special place for heavy music. It’s a country that has always produced some of the finest European bands, but while the world usually looks to the Polish scene for pure death metal and black metal, there is a bleeding-heart underground that is currently redefining what heavy actually means. Asteriæ’s second studio release, the EP Miejsce, które nazywam sobą, this five-piece has delivered one of the most intense, vulnerable, and technically impressive records I’ve heard in years. Released through D.I.Y Koło Records, it’s a 1000-watt spotlight on the internal struggle. If you’ve been following our blog, you know we have a massive soft spot for music that refuses to pick a lane. Asteriæ is the definition of that refusal. They work at the intersection of blackened hardcore, neocrust, and post-metal, mixing the frantic, nihilistic speed of black metal with the atmospheric sprawl of post-metal. It’s a volatile alloy that feels like it could shatter at any moment, yet it is held together by a level of compositional discipline that is frankly marvelous. This is music that serves as a vessel for every bad emotion, allowing the creators and the listeners to find some kind of peace in the aftermath of the noise.
Asteriæ has made the conscious, bold choice to forgo English in favor of their native Polish. English is often the easy route. It’s percussive, familiar, and a universal shorthand, but by sticking to Polish, Asteriæ has unlocked a level of raw, unfiltered emotional resonance that simply cannot be translated. You don’t need to speak the language to feel the weight of it. The phonetics of the Polish tongue add a rough rhythmic edge to the vocals that perfectly complements the music. It makes the internal struggle feel more personal, more grounded, and more authentic. Vocals sound phenomenal from scratch to finish. This is an exceptional, fierce performance that defines the blackened element of their sound. These are aggressive, soul-shredding screams that sound like they are being ripped directly from the chest. The delivery is relentless, guiding the chaotic blast beats and the spacious atmospheric sections with a hypnotic presence. There is a sense of desperate haste in the voice, a guiding authority that leads you through the labyrinthine emotional core of the record. It’s a human being placing every bad emotion into the microphone so they don’t have to carry it in their daily life. It’s catharsis in its purest, loudest form. The guitar work is absolutely marvelous and serves as the primary engine for the album’s shifting moods. Asteriæ mastered friction and consonance. On one hand, you have the furious, blackened riffs, themes, and lines that cut through the mix. On the other hand, the guitars frequently open up into these beautiful, spacious motifs. These post-metal-influenced passages are drenched in reverb and atmosphere, providing a much-needed breath of air before the next descent into chaos. This duality gives the EP its incredible dynamic range. The guitars are never just showy, because every arpeggio and every wall of noise is a carefully placed brick in the place they are building.
Asteriæ has wisely chosen to drown the entire project in distorted bass. The basslines are sludgy, raw, and abrasive, offering a thick, rumbling undercurrent that gives the music its massive physical weight. It injects a noticeable heaviness and warmth into the soundscape, acting as the essential glue that binds the high-pitched guitar melodies to the relentless drumming. The fuzz on the bass is delicious; it’s the sonic abrasiveness that makes the album feel so feral and real. Also, we are treated to impressive rhythmic maneuvers. The drummer handles the transition from frantic, breakneck blast beats to slow-lurching post-metal grooves with effortless precision. The fills are energetic and precise, filled with marvelous accentuations that highlight the shifts in guitar textures. The double-bass work is a rolling thunder backdrop that keeps the energy pinned in the red, but it’s the drummer’s ability to let the music breathe during the atmospheric sections that really shows their skill. They dictate the emotional tempo of the record, making sure that even in the most chaotic moments, there is a sense of intentional structure. Asteriæ created a singular, continuous burst of energy, a relentless exploration of what happens when blackened hardcore velocity meets post-metal’s soul. Despite the extreme nature of the music, the clarity of the production allows every instrument to cut through. You can appreciate the detail in the distorted bass, the intricacy of the drumming, and the layers in the guitar work, even as the whole thing attempts to steamroll you. Miejsce, które nazywam sobą is a comprehensive demonstration of how extreme music can be used as a tool for survival and self-improvement. Asteriæ crafted an album that will resonate with fans of progressive, blackened extremity across the globe. It is a mandatory listen for anyone who believes that the loudest music should also be the most honest. This is a must-have for your collection, a sludgy, abrasive, and beautifully crafted trip into the self. Get ready to lose yourself in Asteriæ’s world. It’s a masterpiece of modern emotional hardcore.
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