Here's another stellar release from late 2010 that we are unfortunately just getting to a tad late. Stargazer are an Australian death/black metal band, currently residing on the excellent Profound Lore label, and The Great Work of Ages is their second full-length release.
Stargazer definitely dive into the more technical aspects of the extreme metal genre, as The Great Work of Ages features plenty of complex passages yet doesn't lessen up on the brutality one bit. Though neither fully into the death or black metal camps, the band use enough of both and mixed with the technical & epic aspects have come up with a pretty unique sounding platter here. The tracks all are in the 4-9 minute range, and as I mentioned filled with shifting time changes and unison playing from the guitar & bass. The names of the players are The Serpent Inquisitioner, The Great Righteous Destroyer, and Selenium Gol, and this trio sure sound like a band with twice as many members. Standout cuts here are "The Morbid Slither, the Sinner Slough", " Red Antlered Radiant", the epic "Chase for the Serpentsong", and the creepy & quite progressive "Hue-Man-King". The latter features some wild jazz-fusion styled bass lines mixed in with the pummeling technical metal blasting. Closing number "Formless Face of the Timeless Faceless" is a more straightforward number, complete with crushing riffs and some ghoulishly delightful growls that have a somewhat gothic feel to them.
Though you can hear slight influences such as Opeth, Celtic Frost, and Death, Stargazer have a pretty unique sound, and seem to be coming from a different angle than other technical extreme acts on the scene today. The Great Work of Ages is another shining star from 2010, and Stargazer is a band that deserves your immediate attention.
Track Listing
1. Red Antlered Radiant
2. Passing Stone - into the
Greater Sun
3. Pypes of Psychosomatis
4. Refractive Convex Continuum
5. Chase for the Serpentsong
6. The Morbid Slither, the Sinner Slough
7. Hue-Man-King
8. Formless Face of the Timeless Faceless
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