It's Black Friday on Black Friday so it seemed appropriate to find a band that is as far away from the crowds of shoppers as possible. Tunisia's Ayyur works out perfectly in this case. It also helps the band's dark and atmospheric black metal is exceptionally great. The North African country doesn't tout a lot of metal music, but the emergence of Ayyur over the last decade or so gives Tunisia quality in lieu of quantity. Though normally a duo, for their new EP, The Lunatic Creature, they recruited former Deathspell Omega vocalist, Shaxul, to play drums for this feature.
With Shaxul's help, Angra Mainyu and Dagon (not the one from Inquisition…) brandish a melodic and mid-tempo black metal. On the title track from The Lunatic Creature, for example, the trio forgoes the overwhelming or suffocating nature of, say, DsO's black metal in favor of space to allow melodies to weave through the track. It's a savvy decision. Their ambiance captures the isolated and hermetic aura of the Mediterranean country in a way.
The band gave a brief statement to Black Friday saying, “We write music from a distant and isolated land where ancient history and obscure mysteries summon tales of the forgotten, and of a decaying and wretched existence"
Stream the title track to The Lunatic Creature now and follow Ayyur on Facebook. Pick up a tape from Sentient Ruin Laboratories and an LP from Vendetta Records.
