Description

Ashen Chalice, the Croatian one-man project founded by Laethyan, returns with its second full-length offering, Ljubiš li i dalje istinski?. Continuing where their debut left off, this new release delves deeper into the realms of anger, spirituality, romance, and dread, taking the trance-inducing sound further into uncharted territory.

The album features roughly 40 minutes of caustic black metal reverberations, woven together with layers of oppressive ambience, noise, and drone. Aggressive blackened riffs cut through the dense sonic atmosphere, while haunting ambient layers rest heavily atop, creating a thick fog of sound that pulls the listener deeper into the madness. Guest musicians Virtue of the Vicious and Ühtceare contribute their voices and instrumentation, adding to the unsettling nature of the record.

Ljubiš li i dalje istinski? is a journey through a landscape of loss—loss of peace, happiness, and meaning. The raw, passionate vocals convey a sense of hopelessness and rage, while the deeply wrong tones in the ambient sections create an eerie and hypnotic atmosphere. Listening to this album isn’t just an experience; it’s a necessary one, filled with palpable emotion that is both disturbing and compelling.