Aosoth – Arrow in Heart
Aosoth is a French trio that strikes out with their dark visions to scar humanity with their twisted form of black metal. If you were to strip away the perplexing jazz technicalities of Deathspell Omega, you may be getting an idea what thriving and demented world Aosoth inhabits. Arrow in the Heart is my first experience with this band and I must say that they straddle the line between nightmarish dissonance and skillfully formed song structures with an adventurous ear for waves of distortion. The riffs erupt through crippling chords and single note fills that bend and torment their way into a realm that sounds a bit off key, but the displaced or deconstructed moments of melody and interesting electronics thrown in reveal a sadistic uniqueness that will keep you enslaved by the sound. The track, “One with the Prince with a Thousand Enemies” piles on such a chilling and ugly atmosphere at the same time, it feels like the paralyzing heat of Death’s breath on your neck. The way this band creates a punishing rhythmic flow as on the odd and complex Temple of Knowledge, only to snap out of the groove and into a blinding blast of bizarre riffing and atypical beats is very schizophrenic and at times debilitating. The hollowed/burnt to a crisp vocalizations only add to the bleak atmosphere of this album and I must admit that Arrow in the Heart is the perfect selection for late night pondering where you fixate on all the wrong and hurt in your life. I may not go to that not so special place that often, but Aosoth have unearthed your soundtrack from the abyss. There are 4 other full-lengths in their catalog that I now need to investigate… -Marty
Agonia Records
Worm Gear 
Yaooozeerrrsss- this is fucking good! Me likey likey
“There are 4 other full-lengths in their catalog that I now need to investigate… ”
Yes, you really really do. I highly recommend “III” – a massive-sounding masterpiece that demands many repeat plays – but the others (and the various EPs) are also most worthwhile additions to one’s collection.
Yes, III is a really nice album. This new one took me a while to get into but I’m there now.