Narzissus Shapes Storms With "Empor zum Ideal" (Early Song Debut)
Musician, songwriter, and world-builder Erech Leleth is no stranger to high concepts and even more nuanced musicianship. With projects like Bergfried, Ancient Mastery, Carathis, and more, this Austrian musician crafts a unique landscape of heavy metal-inflected black metal.With Narzissus, Erech Leleth set his sights to a more progressive horizon, and new album Akt III: Erlösung poses a few questions. Is black metal heavy metal? Is heavy metal black metal? The lines between these two semi-related genres begin to blur as opening track "Empor zum Ideal" progresses. With Erech Leleth opting for a more obscured melodic sense this time as opposed to his other projects' penchant for hooks, Narzissus' more "prog" side quickly reveals itself as one of its creator's more curious and interesting projects. Stream "Empor zum Ideal" below.
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From the artist:
Narzissus has always been the most personal of my projects. The songs and lyrics were written over the last 3 years and tell a story of overcoming addiction and depression. Musically, life is ultimately celebrated on the fine line between pain and pleasure. Melodic black metal with a jazzy and atmospheric touch serves as the basis, with the singer Amara from Finland contributing a lot to the overall mood.
The last lines from the last song sum up the whole album quite well:
But the greatest reward for all the pain
is neither knowledge nor being king.
It is love in many guises,
how it lures you and banishes you to the divine.
(translated to English)
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Akt III: Erlösung will be released alongside vinyl reissues of Akt I and II via Shape of Storms Records on January 19th, 2024.
