Band:	Shylmagoghnar
Album:	Convergence
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Progressive black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	November 2023

01. I Hear The Mountain Weep
02. Follow The River
03. Threshold
04. Strata
05. Gardens Of The Erased
06. Egregore
07. Infinion
08. Convergence
09. The Sea
10. Becoming

For most metalheads, Shylmagoghnar are held on quite a high pedestal for their remarkable sound and style. Can Convergence show some indication for those unfamiliar with this band as to why that is? And can this third offering build on the impressive foundations laid by their previous two highly acclaimed releases?

Shylmagoghnar have developed a staggering reputation since emerging onto the scene with the highly acclaimed 2014 debut Emergence, and not just for having an almost impossible to pronounce band name, but for being (formerly) a duo that possessed musicianship of such sheer quality, as well as outstanding songwriting skills. The debut Emergence still stands out as being one of my most treasured albums in metal as a whole, with some of the most memorable moments I've heard in the melodeath, meloblack, and even atmospheric black subgenres. Although the follow-up Transience took a slightly different route, as the band ventured into a more progressive territory, Shylmagoghnar still managed to maintain their original sound and characteristics from the debut, which clearly stood out amongst the vast sea of other metal acts.

Dutch musician Nimblkorg returns once more after a five-year gap; however, unlike on previous release Transience, here he handles all instrumental and vocal duties, as founding member and ex-vocalist Skirge has stepped back from music. The first album from Shylmagoghnar as a solo project is their third full-length release, Convergence. Most metalheads have placed Convergence among the most anticipated releases of this year, especially when considering the band's previous efforts. However, what can be expected from this latest effort: A follow-up of the more traditionally melodic Emergence, a continuation of the more progressive style on Transience, perhaps even the best of both? Or maybe even something completely different? Whatever the case, anyone entering this album with expectations of high quality will not be disappointed.

Convergence contains ten tracks in total, starting off with the intriguingly titled ten-minute instrumental opener "I Hear The Mountain Weep". This track eases its way in gently with a sweeping melancholic melodeath riff, before familiar keyboard melodies and breath-taking tremolos reminiscent of Emergence kick in. The twin guitar work once again proves to be an outstanding element, along with a great galloping, energetic rhythm section, which helps drive this track forward. This is further aidd by a fabulous production that allows every element to shine equally. The whole structure behind this track is simply breathtaking; if it's melody you're after, then this clearly has it in abundance, and as far as instrumentals go, I'd even go as far as saying this matches the quality of "I Am The Abyss", the outstandingly memorable opener from the debut. But this now leaves the question, where do they possibly go on from here?

I'm sure you'll be glad to know that the next track, "Follow The River", is equally memorable; however, this song takes a slightly different approach. It begins with the band's beautiful trademark twinkling keyboard melodies, but it soon becomes apparent, due to the irregular tempo and rhythm changes, that the structure is leading down a more progressive route, perhaps following the example of Transience more than Emergence this time around. Here, vocals are introduced for the first time, and range from harsh growls to whispering cleans, as the twin guitars work in hyperdrive mode. From here on in, there are moments that strongly demonstrate Nimblkorg's fine musicianship skills, with "Threshold" providing fine examples of the band's folkish side, "Strata" featuring some of their most impressive lead guitar work to date, and "Garden Of The Erased" showing just how far the band's songwriting capabilities can stretch. This latter track is strikingly driven by futuristic-style synth work and electronic drum beats, before erupting into more ferociously-paced melodeath, with hints of atmospheric and progressive black.

If you thought the opening track was a great instrumental, then later on you're treated to another fine instrumental, "Infinion". Here, you truly get a sense of how Nimblkorg has taken every opportunity to embrace his most creative and ambitious musicianship skills, bringing forth elements from the band's previous work and crafting some truly phenomenal instrumentation. The guitar leads and riffs here are a delight, as they never run dry of memorable melodies, and they work in perfect harmony with the beautifully crafted synth work and fine rhythm section. The two instrumentals "I Hear The Mountain Weep" and "Infinion" really show Shylmagoghnar at their highest peak performance-wise, but there is still another wonderfully constructed instrumental to come, "The Sea". Here, Nimblkorg yet again demonstrates his great orchestration skills, providing more remarkable synth and keyboard work. 

Overall, Convergence is all as I expected it would be, and I'm sure many would agree. It's a more than worthy follow-up to Transience, providing many memorable melodies, and blending the progressive and atmospheric black sub-genres with melodeath in expert fashion, containing very few dull moments throughout its seventy-plus minutes of runtime. Does it match the quality of the mighty debut Emergence? I'm not yet convinced it does, but then it would take something truly special to do so. Nevertheless, there's one thing you can safely say: Shylmagoghnar's reputation remains unscathed, and with three highly impressive releases now under the band's belt, it looks now like they're beginning to develop a strong lasting consistency as well.