Amiensus – Reclamation: Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

Amiensus really blessed us this year. Their fourth and fifth full-lengths dropped as the two parts of epic Reclamation. Each a beautiful work of art of their own, together, they’re a shining example of progressive black metal, an emotional and music journey of truly Homeric proportions. But it is towards the former of the pair, Reclamation: Part 1, that I turn here, my esteemed spongefren Kenstrosity having given Part 2 its deserved praise elsewhere. The heftier brother—at nearly an hour long—the magnificent breadth of Amiensus’ stylistic prowess is here on still greater display. If the whole of Reclamation were represented by the seasons, then Part 1 is Summer into Autumn, and Part 2 Winter into Spring. Starting in a golden light of innocent reverie,1 Reclamation Part 1 grows ever darker as it moves through impassioned waves of bittersweet yearning to an ellipsis of solemnity for Part 2 to triumph over with harsh, and then cathartic intensity.

Much like its twin, Reclamation: Part 1 is beautiful in more ways than one. The grace with which Amiensus weaves together cello and guitar melodies; pair warm, heartfelt cleans with savage roars; and turn atmospheric introspection into blazing blackened assertiveness, is nothing short of magical. Tempos that trip from a patient sway into a galloping frenzy, or ecstatic dance, only to settle into a whispering of cymbal taps, are the final layer in this tapestry, finalizing the stirring power of meticulously-crafted compositions. Imperceptibly, little drum beats and cascading riffs send you soaring through an anthemic chorus (“Blink of the Moment,” “Spoken into Will”), or a wonderful intermingling of uplifting refrains, passionate screams, and gazey singing (“Reverie”). You might be floating on the calm waters of delicate strings or plucks, and mellow melodies only to be launched into a stormy sea as percussion hammers and those strings twist and writhe to accent the suddenly urgent guitars (“A Consciousness Throughout Time,” “Vermillion Fog of War”). Or things may be truly still, and so it is the most moving of all as the soundscape gently builds (“Sun and Moon”).

Reclamation: Part 1 by Amiensus

Part 1 is so emotionally affective in part because of how masterfully the elements are intertwined. Not one transition between screamed or sung vocals, or shift from peace to turbulence, ever feels artificial; not one cathartic release of thematic tension is overwrought. Though melancholic and introspective at turns, Amiensus infuse the music with a kind of wistful naïveté that makes me personally simply feel joy. “Sun and Moon” makes it to the higher rankings on my Songs of the Year list largely due to its embodying this innocent poignancy so perfectly, led by a gorgeous, rippling melody. But no song is devoid of that magic, even the harshest moments have been touched by some harmonious and intricately-layered beauty.

And while some may call it indulgent, Part 1’s lengthier runtime allows not only the songs themselves, but the emotions they express, more room to breathe. It pairs well with the way that tracks bleed into one another, further enhancing the sense that this is one complete journey. And it feels half the length it is. Reclamation—Part 1 in particular—is an album that having sat with for most of a year, I can confidently say marks Amiensus’ crowning achievement thus far. And if somehow, even after Ken‘s review, you haven’t experienced it yet, go now and find what’s missing from your year-end list.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Reverie,” “Sun and Moon,” “A Consciousness Throughout Time”



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