Band:	Bast
Album:	Spectres
Style:	Black metal, Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	February 2014

01. In The Beginning
02. Denizens
03. Spectres
04. Psychonauts
05. Outside The Circles Of Time

Blackened doom has always been my favorite fusion of any two metal subgenres. Why, you ask? It's quite simple really: combine the two subgenres that are typically the most gloomy and melancholic in the entire metal spectrum, and you're in for one hell of a result. This year, the Englishmen of Bast are hitting the scene full force with Spectres, and they're ready to show us how it's done.

With Spectres, Bast make it clear that they're skilled in the art of sonic sculpting, artists with good attention to aural satisfaction and pleasing the senses. There are some moments that are indeed quite black metal-ish, like on opener "In The Beginning," and contain your more or less average tremolo picking, shrieks, and blast beats, that further transition into some heavier, more monotonous moments to complete the BM/doom union. So, at first glance, it comes across as pretty generic for its style: not bad, per se, just nothing new.

But this first track is a mask of sorts, that covers up and somewhat deceives as to the real meat of the album and the excellent songwriting dwelling within it. For Bast are by no means here to just barrage your eardrums with BM riffs and pulsating doom. Much like Dolorian and The Ruins Of Beverast, these guys are actually one of the better blackened doom bands, who thankfully give just as much attention to creating a soul sucking vortex of sorrowful melody as they do to cranking out hard-hitting bangers. "Outside The Circles Of Time," the amazing instrumental "Psychonauts," and plenty of moments on the other tracks display a sophisticated knowledge of atmosphere, and how to construct it around the heavier elements to help everything peak at just the right moment. All the trails Bast create, so to speak, seem to ultimately build to some sort of climax, instead of just leading nowhere, and the ending of the album is not at all disappointing.

With Spectres, Bast inject some fresh, new blood into the blackened doom style, creating an album that strikes a very commendable balance between the two, without really seeming to move too far in either direction. Many blackened doom bands tend to either sit in an extreme doom position, or a slow, heavy black metal style, opting for more of one over the other. Not so with Bast. They've found their happy medium between the two, and oh boy, is it tasty. Serious contender for debut AOTY.

Ready to meet some specters?