Monte Penumbra’s obscure origin dates back to 2013. The project of one W.uR suddenly appeared in the underground black metal scene with a debut full-length in Heirloom of Sullen Fall. Released at the time through Deamon Worship Productions, a label with an excellent pedigree of extreme metal having released music from the likes of Devouring Star and Wormlust, Heirloom of Sullen Fall made for a very promising start for Monte Penumbra. Dissonant and eerie, the work of W.uR was oozing with the adventurous, atmospheric investigations of Ved Buens Ende featuring a doom twist. Kicking off their debut with “By Depths Occult” saw the Scandinavian cacophony be polluted by a controlled pace and certain doom leads, while the follow-up in “Dark Figure” saw W.uR invoking stylistically the otherworldly clean vocalizations of Carl Michael-Eide.
Still, through the roughness of Monte Penumbra’s debut full-length there were many promising signs. The atmosphere was pitch dark, the venomous guitars revelling in eerie renditions. Unfortunately it would be 8 years until Monte Penumbra would make a return, finally arriving today in As Blades In The Firmament. And in this work, W.uR really steps up the project’s vision and game, modernizing it appropriately for the times, and weaponizing all its cacophonous potential. The twisted inharmonicity still remains, being transformed to include both the strong Ved Buens Ende influence but also the more extreme and unforgiving applications of Deathspell Omega. “Black Mould On Rye Grass” dizzyingly moves through a blackened vortex of entropy, constructed through dense, poisonous riffs that operate in cyclonic fashions. And while it is presented in a majestic and grand fashion, when a more direct approach is desired Monte Penumbra do not hold back, in the likes of the relentless onslaught halfway through “To Anoint The Dead” seeing the Voivod-ian injections stretch to their blackened extremes.
In terms of pure craftsmanship, there is a lot of work that has gone into the songwriting and structures of As Blades In The Firmament. That is undeniable, everything has its place and the in song narrative is revealed in glorious fashion. It is music that has an almost physical effect on the listener, the echoing bends of “To Anoint The Dead” feel like knives cutting through the skin. And it is also a result of the album’s pacing, which flows in a very natural manner. Here Monte Penumbra have also taken another big step forward, with regards to the drumming, as Bjarni Einarsson (Sinmara, Slidhr, Wormlust) makes an appearance to propel W.uR’s vision forwards. It is something that provides a poignant and off-kilter rhythmic backbone, to accommodate for the oppressive and devilish guitar work. Erratic and unpredictable, the drums absolutely shine in the title track, creating an overwhelming experience, and allowing a track like “Of A Different Fire” to arrive with that much more angst and conviction.
In the end, Monte Penumbra’s As Blades In The Firmament is an ambitious work and it is able to live up to it. Drawing from a long lineage of dissonant extreme music, adding a slight pinch of doom pacing and then spreading its skeletal wings to include avant-gardisms without at any point losing their main focus. This is a work that is drenched in darkness, and even though it does not necessarily break new ground its execution is near flawless.
