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Ebonillumini - "Lusca - (Bahamas)"

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My love of black metal has often skewed toward the avant-garde, often to the point that when some random dude from Finland decides to segue from tremolo picking to extended Djembe solo it no longer fazes me.

sometimes, though, a group still knows how to pack a curve ball. Enter the UK’s Ebonillumini, who anchor their music in the sounds of equatorial and island nations (har har). I appreciate the group breaking black metal’s ties to Nordic landscapes; after all everybody needs a vacation. Hell, maybe it’s because I just saw Arcturus, but I’ll even forgive the silly pirate costumes. The band is mostly composed of current and former members of The Meads of Asphodel, and like that project they have a flair for the dramatic—vocalist Christina “The Maiden” Poupoutsi in particular likes to belt, but she’s one of the best parts of their sound.

“Lusca – (Bahamas)” is the first song released from their upcoming sophomore LP Aktos and it showcases the aforementioned island theme in title and execution. For added melodrama, the song begins with a sample collage resembling a cruise liner being attacked by Godzilla. Bad vacation lack metal, there’s a new one. Stream the song below.

— Joseph Schafer

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Aktos drops on June 1 via Wickerman Recordings. Follow Ebonillumini on Facebook.

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