Band:	Bríi
Album:	Sem Propósito
Style:	Ambient black metal
Release date:	March 2021

01. A
02. B

One of 2020's most intriguing debut releases quickly has a sequel.

Brazil turned out to be the hub of experimental black metal in 2020. First, you had Kaatayra pushing the limits of black metal in a Botanist-esque manner by replacing electric guitars with acoustic guitars. Second, you had Bríi, the one-man project helmed by Serafim, releasing its debut record, Entre Tudo Que É Visto E Oculto. Apothecary delved into the multi-faceted nature of the record better than I could hope to, but in brief, the gargantuan release saw Serafim merging black metal with ambient, psychedelic and electronic elements in an utterly unique manner. Yes, the album was rough around the edges, but it was an ambitious one-man bedroom project, so that was to be expected. With the experience of making that record under his belt, what can Serafim offer second time around on Sem Propósito?

The first thing to mention is that the elements mentioned in the previous paragraph are all here, but there's two that really stand out in terms of prominence: the black metal and the electronic music. The first track, succinctly titled "A", makes the importance of these two elements clear early on by first opening with several minutes of techno before gradually transitioning into black metal supplemented with atmospheric keyboards. Bar the first minute or so after the initial transition, the black metal in this first track really takes over, with any electronic elements serving to only occasionally fill out the mix.

As for the black metal, it's a relentless approach, with the drums powering away almost constantly, but although there's an excess of (generally quite memorable) tremolo work happening, Serafim spices it up with regularly featured guitar solo work. The production of the black metal, as well as the electronic hints surrounding it, gives it a bit of a space/ambient black metal vibe. "A" isn't a constant black metal assault after this initial transition; around midway through, there's a move into something slightly closer to Kaatayra's acoustic black metal album, with cleaner guitars and quieter drums in a semi-ambient stretch, whilst the closing minutes also feature some ambient electronica combined with quite a blues-y guitar solo stretch.

"A" features a lot of interesting elements; however, it's quite a compartmentalized song. You have a few minutes of techno, then a few minutes of black metal, then the down period in the middle, then a few more minutes of black metal, and finally a few minutes of ambient electronica, and the borders between each section are quite distinct. "B" is a bit more fluid, opening with a more ambient techno sound before moving into a psychedelic electronic section. The transitions between each section are a bit more subtle; the drums build gradually during the ambient portion into the psychedelic section, and the electronics are sustained in a more prominent position when Bríi eventually unleashes the black metal. Similarly, when the black metal fades to ambience in the tail end of the song, the transition is subtle, and the blast beats are even woven back in later on to flip the 'black metal with some electronics on top' approach to an 'ambient electronica with some black metal involved'.

The approach on both tracks is broadly similar, both in the structuring of the tracks and the style of black metal employed (lots of blasting, lots of tremolo riffing, lots of lead guitar work); however, "B" perhaps sees Bríi finding a way to more naturally blend the extremes of its sound, rather than being a song that has an electronic section, then a black metal section, without too much in the way of an obvious connection. As such, although there's still some roughness in the compositions found on Sem Propósito, the signs are there that Serafim can eventually take his eclectic approach and turn it into something that sounds completely natural and cohesive whilst retaining that experimentation. As for now, this is a very enjoyable sophomore with a lot to offer, even if it does have a few areas where the idea is perhaps better than the execution.