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Album Review – Sepulchre by the Sea / Seven Chambers (2024)

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This brilliant Atmospheric Black Metal project from the UK returns with its sophomore full-length opus, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s famous tale The Masque of the Red Death.

After a three-year hiatus and relocating to Cornwall, one-man Atmospheric Black Metal project Sepulchre by the Sea is now set to return with its most ambitious project to date, it’s second full-length release, titled Seven Chambers, the follow-up to the 2020 album Conqueror Worm and the 2021 EP Ratiocination. Displaying a modern yet classic artwork by Emma Hill, the new album by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ashley Shannon was conceived, written and recorded as one continuous 45-minute song inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s famous tale The Masque of the Red Death, later divided into seven unique movements, each coded to the mood and color of the chambers in the story, and where Ashely was able to explore sounds and genres outside of his usual Atmospheric Black Metal, such as Drone and Electronica, and draw on instrumentation never before seen in a Sepulchre by the Sea record.

Delicate piano notes and atmospheric sounds set the stage in I. Blue Hubris, an extensive and enfolding intro that will transport you to the world of Sepulchre by the Sea in II. Purple Pestilence, a harsh, dark and caustic creation by Ashley, where his strident riffs and classic blast beats add an extra touch of heaviness to the overall result, not to mention how anguished his gnarls sound in over nine minutes of visceral, piercing music; whereas III. Green Bath begins in a truly soothing manner, with the sound of the birds complementing Ashley’s minimalist guitars, offering us all four minutes of sheer serenity before he strikes again with his Atmospheric Black Metal wall of sounds in IV. Orange Opulence, where fast-paced drums and piercing riffs enhance the impact of his enraged roars, alternating between calmer passages and obscure moments like if it was two or three songs in one. V. White Death is another somber, ethereal interlude by Ashley and his Sepulchre by the Sea, flowing into VI. Violet Visions, presenting his more lugubrious side, almost like Funeral Doom at times, with his deep vociferations and background keys giving the whole song a phantasmagorical vibe, or in other words, it’s another detailed and bold musical journey tat will hypnotize you during its 12 minutes, morphing into the atmospheric ballad VII. Scarlet Dreams, where Ashley puts a beyond melancholic ending to the album.

Anyone who preorders the album will receive the bonus track Darkness Holds Dominion upon release, a 21-minute spoken word performance of The Masque of the Red Death set to an ambient drone piece, and in order to guarantee your bonus song you can go to Sepulchre by the Sea’s BandCamp page right now and preorder such an amazing album of atmospheric music. Also, don’t forget to follow Ashley and his Edgar Allan Poe-inspired beast on Facebook and on Instagram for news and other nice-to-know details about the project, to stream his previous albums (and soon the excellent Seven Chambers) on Spotify, or click HERE for all things Sepulchre by the Sea, and may Ashley keep experimenting with different types of music and stunning us all with his project by delivering several more albums as great as his newborn spawn. And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death and of Sepulchre by the Sea.

Best moments of the album: II. Purple Pestilence and IV. Orange Opulence.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. I. Blue Hubris 3:15
2. II. Purple Pestilence 9:19
3. III. Green Bath 4:12
4. IV. Orange Opulence 9:28
5. V. White Death 3:20
6. VI. Violet Visions 12:08
7. VII. Scarlet Dreams 4:16

Band members
Ashley Shannon – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Sepulchre by the Sea / Ratiocination EP (2021)

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Bristol, UK’s own Atmospheric Black Metal one-man army returns with a classy new EP inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s famous Ratiocinations detective stories.

3.0rating

sepulchre-by-the-sea-ratiocination-ep-2021Less than one year after the release of the full-length opus Conqueror Worm, the talented Bristol, UK-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ashley Shannon and his Atmospheric Black Metal alter-ego Sepulchre by the Sea are back in action with a brand new EP, entitled Ratiocinations. Recorded during the winter lockdown and inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s famous Ratiocinations detective stories, this 26-minute EP brings to our avid ears another round of the dense, dark and absolutely captivating sound carefully crafted by Ash, keeping the gears of Sepulchre by the Sea turning smoothly and providing us a very good indication of the path that the project will follow with its upcoming releases.

A cinematic intro warms up the listener for the darkness that’s about to explode in Ghost of the Departed, with Ash screaming like a demonic entity nonstop while he extracts razor-edged riffs from his guitar at the same time. Put differently, this is classic Atmospheric Back Metal made in the UK, flowing smoothly until its Stygian finale; and Ash fires another dense and incendiary tune titled Beast Made Flesh, presenting elements of Scandinavian Black Metal added to its core. Moreover, Ash is simply on fire with his blast beats, mayhemic riffage and infernal growling, resulting in a more obscure and heavier sound than in the opening track. Lastly, get ready for 12 minutes of undisputed Atmospheric Black Metal in the form of the title-track Ratiocinations, with a gentle intro morphing into a demented feast of blast beats and sick guitar lines by Ash. It’s by far one of his strongest and most detailed creations to date, a multi-layered aria of darkness sounding like three or four songs in one due to all of its unique passages, breaks and variations, therefore putting a climatic ending to the EP.

sepulchre-by-the-sea-logo-2021Ash and his Sepulchre by the Sea are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram (and I’m sure he’ll love to hear what you have to say about his music), and don’t forget to also stream all of his first-class creations on Spotify and, above all that, to purchase Ratiocinations from his own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. It’s always a pleasure seeing different bands and projects drawing inspiration from such important writers and poets the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, and in the case of Ash and Sepulchre by the Sea we can already say it’s getting harder and harder to identify if it’s a metal band inspired by Poe’s undisputed work or if it’s Poe’s poetry turned into top-of-the-line metal music, proving how talented Ash is and, consequently, leaving us eager for another round of his atmospheric creations in the near future.

Best moments of the album: Ratiocinations.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing   
1. Ghost of the Departed 8:24
2. Beast Made Flesh 5:45
3. Ratiocinations 12:00

Band members
Ashley Shannon – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Sepulchre by the Sea / Conqueror Worm (2020)

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Showcasing an equal passion for all things Post-Black Metal and American author Edgar Allen Poe, this UK-based one-man army is ready to stun you with his debut full-length album.

“Lo! ’t is a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!
An angel throng, bewinged, bedight
In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
A play of hopes and fears,
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
The music of the spheres.” – Edgar Allan Poe – The Conqueror Worm (1843)

Formed in early 2019 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ashley “Ash” Shannon with an equal passion for all things Post-Black Metal and American author Edgar Allen Poe, Bristol, UK-based Atmospheric Black Metal one-man army Sepulchre by the Sea has quickly grown from a single idea into a fully-fledged studio project, incorporating many different sounds from atmospheric soundscapes and traditional Black Metal riffing to more eclectic areas such as shoegaze and folk-based pieces. As a matter of fact, the project’s name was inspired by Annabel Lee, the last complete poem composed by Edgar Allan Poe, while another poem, The Conqueror Worm, which by the way is about human mortality and the inevitability of death, was the inspiration for Sepulchre by the Sea’s debut full-length, six-track opus Conqueror Worm, the follow-up to the 2019 demo …And So It Crumbles, creating something larger and more ambitious in scale, spanning nearly an hour and crossing multiple sub genres along the way.

And the project’s Edgar Allan Poe-inspired feast of melancholy and darkness begins in a truly atmospheric way in the opening track I Loved Alone, venturing through the realms of contemporary Post-Metal before Ash begins firing dirty, scorching riffs from his stringed axe and anguished gnarls in paradox with the song’s serene background piano notes. Then Ash hammers his guitar, bass and drums mercilessly in the furious title-track Conqueror Worm, blending the mystery of Atmospheric Black Metal with the violence and heaviness of Black Metal and even Punk Rock, not to mention his growls get even more demonic than before as the music progresses; and you better get ready for 12 minutes of fulminating blast beats, vicious riffs and an endless sense of despair and obscurity in And So It Crumbles, where Ash does an excellent job mixing classic Black Metal with Atmospheric Black Metal and Doom Metal nuances, also presenting Stygian, austere passages that perfectly represent his passion for the work by Edgar Allan Poe turned into extreme music.

Slices of Death is a pensive and enfolding composition by Ash where he focuses on the melody and all small details of the song instead of the usual harshness of extreme music; furthermore, it’s quite easy to sense how personal this harmonious ballad is to him, whereas our talented lone wolf and his Sepulchre by the Sea put the pedal to the metal in the visceral and austere Behind the Walls, enhancing his aggressiveness and rage through his hellish roars and fulminating Black Metal riffage, and ending in the most melancholic way imaginable. And last but (definitely) not least, you better be prepared as Ash will crush your senses for over 17 minutes with the closing tune Plutonian Shores, the icing on the cake in this multi-layered album of Atmospheric Metal where after four minutes of ritualistic sounds Ash comes ripping with his scorching riffage, also showcasing so many breaks, variations, changes in tempo and obscure passages it’s hard to describe the complexity of such grandiose tune in just a few words.

As I like to say, it’s always a pleasure to review the work by one-man bands like Sepulchre by the Sea, mainly because you can easily feel and enjoy all the hard work, all the passion for the music he plays, the musical evolution from song to song and, above all, all his respect and admiration for one of the greatest poets of all time (and the most beloved one by the metal community hands down). Hence, in order to show your support to Edgar Allan Poe’s right-hand man in extreme music, go check what Ash is up to on Facebook, and purchase your copy of Conqueror Worm from his own BandCamp page, from the Anthrazit Records’ BandCamp page, or from Amazon, and don’t forget you can also stream this fantastic display of Atmospheric Black Metal in full on Spotify anytime you want, savoring every single second of it like you would enjoy each word from Poe’s vast collection of amazing tales and poems.

Best moments of the album: Conqueror Worm and Plutonian Shores.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Anthrazit Records

Track listing
1. I Loved Alone 6:40
2. Conqueror Worm 6:40
3. And So It Crumbles 12:07
4. Slices of Death 7:34
5. Behind the Walls 7:49
6. Plutonian Shores 17:14

Band members
Ashley Shannon – vocals, all instruments