Aosoth

Plainly stated, IV: An Arrow in Heart has captured a sound that is gloriously cacophonous but still painfully musical. With a hazy backdrop of white noise, French black metal band Aosoth channels a primitive tone that is unrelenting, but skillfully intertwined with inconspicuous lines of melody. The melodic portions are just as crucial and prevalent as the dissonant ones and they work together to make the album appealing but unsettling. Ignoring cues from fellow French bands, Aosoth has not bothered to follow in the footsteps of Deathspell Omega, Anorexia Nervosa, or Blut Aus Nord. Their sound is entirely their own, and each musician does a spectacular job in their department. Vocalist MkM, bassist Inrvi, and guitarist and drummer Bst are all extremely talented and mesh together well.