Album Review: The Projectionist – Exalted Solitude (Appalachian Noise Records & The True Plague Records)

Exalted Solitude from The Projectionist is an album filled with rage, centered on themes of hatred & isolation. It will be unleashed on the world on April 20th 2017 via Appalachian Noise Records and The True Plague Records jointly.

The toiling of bells at the start of 11 Strikes to Incite Incurable Silence creates a feeling of coldness & despondency. Instantly it’s clear that Exalted Solitude is going to be a journey into the blackest of pits, one that you may never escape from.

The album is so raw sounding, the vocals are just screeched across the music, almost as if they are battling the rampant instrument abuse. The beat of the songs are awesome but vocally it’s not easy to get along with.

Happily it does improve as your mind adjusts to the style of vocals (of which there are two). Suckling A Most Hateful Claustrum & its pace is a vast improvement.

The gurgling vocals at the start of Ineffable Inner Void really lay on the evilness of the record but it kicks in & you’re excited to see what comes next. The vocals are insane here, so high pitched & screeching that it’s near uncomfortable & kind of drowns out the quality black metal riffs.

It’s hard to not think ‘mess’ at first but by the third track, Ineffable Inner Void, the album begins to win you over. It’s absolutely crazy at times but has a charm that just begs you to continue listening. It’s almost hypnotic.

With Oubliette Threnodies the two vocal styles really start to mesh together well. It’s like listening to an evil invocation with some lovely black metal music playing along. The biggest complaint about the album will always be the overpowering vocals. A really tough record to get into but one that keeps growing on you. Quite literally the devil’s music.

If Erased, So Fertile Ought with the whispered spoken words & soft melody offers a break in the brutality & onslaught. Almost like an intermission & one that is needed as things come back even harder & faster in Draw Away. The literal sound of evil. It’s very hard to pick anything out here. It’s a little bit of a mess but incredibly appealing! Black metal with some serious grind edge.

Zarathusra is the first song where the drumming really stands out. Absolutely belting stuff there but there is no denying the appeal is beginning to rub off. The rawness is good but it lacks too little polish.

Exalted Solitude ends it’s battering of your ears & mind with the Sleepless Witching Curse & Harpy Whispers Malice (The Regent’s Downfall). The former another intense blast of black metal music while the latter is wraps up the sermon with the most oppressive sounds so far. It’s a hell of a finish.

Exalted Solitude is not an accessible album, if you’re not a black metal fan you’re likely to hate this. For everyone else, opinions will certainly differ. It’s disgusting raw sound is appealing & addictive but it can be very difficult to get along with.

The Projectionist – Exalted Solitude Full Track Listing:

1. 11 Strikes to Incite Incurable Silences
2. Suckling a Most Hateful Claustrum
3. Ineffable Inner Void
4. Oubliette Threnodies
5. If Erased, So Fertile Ought
6. Draw Away
7. Chapel of Astaroth
8. Zarathusra
9. Sleepless Witching Curse
10. Harpy Whispers Malice (The Regent’s Downfall)

You can pick up The Projectionist’s music now over on Bandcamp, via Appalachian Noise Records & check out the band via Facebook.