Album Review: Pâenil Era – Idle Cage (Neuronoir)

Pâenil Era is a post-black metal solo project from Timisoara, Romania, which started in 2012 initially under the name Signatura Rerum. ‘Idle Cage’ is the 4th full length album from the project and was released on September 19th, 2024, via Neuronoir, a new label from Romania that focuses on post metal, black metal, and other derivatives.

It continues to be an absolute joy to experience music like this. Music that envelops the mind, body, and soul. Pâenil Era crafting a spectacular style of black metal that utilises melody and atmosphere to give it a post flavour.

Building up anticipation with a thoughtful and measured ambient laden beat, the intro of The Cage is as exciting as it is disturbing. The mind is solely subdued by the atmosphere, meaning no-one will be prepared for the transition into blackened heaviness that arrives with mighty aplomb. Pâenil Era showcasing more intensity than ever, with the overall vibe getting darker and darker as it goes on, until melody becomes more dominating.

It is a stunning start to the record, and while it might feature 4 tracks overall, they are best listened too as one complete piece. This way the 30-odd minutes of the record can really take hold, even if each track has tons of merit on their own. The Chain, in particular, is one of the best because of the chunky edge that the guitars have. Even if there is mid-point melodic drop that is delightfully sombre sounding.

Then there is The Veil, the shortest track, and a more focused blast of heaviness with a really impressive level of devilry to the vocals. Before The Turn wraps the record up with even more of an expansive take on atmosphere, blackened ferocity, and melodic misery. Pâenil Era has discovered depths not trawled by many before, and with that, found darkness that is primordial. Instead of taking that and shoving it out into the light, it has been molded to better reflect the world we live in now. A world that is twisted and horrifying, but also a world still filled with beauty.

Pâenil Era – Idle Cage Track Listing:

1. The Cage
2. The Chain
3. The Veil
4. The Turn

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