Norwegian SUNDROWNED have unleashed their masterful debut album Become Ethereal, a beautiful, masterful and dreamy post-black metal amalgam of emotions that will surely impress fans of Alcest, Rosetta, Deafheaven and MØL. The album is getting some incredible reactions, and will be more than enough to keep them competing in the big leagues.
Hailing from the rainy coastal town of Haugesund in Norway, post black-metal band Sundrowned present their debut album “Become Ethereal” through Fysisk Format. With a sound reminiscent of bands like Alcest, Rosetta and Deafheaven, Sundrowned is primarily the solo project of Jone Amundsen Piscopo and is joined by Aron Eggertsson, Gabriel Innocent and Markus Jakobsen live and on the album.
Produced by Ørjan Kristoffersen Lund (NAG, Avast, Agenda, etc…) at Brige Burner Recording studio in Stavanger “Become Ethereal” sees Sundrowned putting a deeper focus on dense atmospheres and melancholic melodies rather than the heavy riffage. Still the album still possess a strong and powerful metal sound that masterfully counterbalances the more dreamy and ethereal moments. Brad Boatright (From Ashes Rise, Sleep, Nails) of Audioseige mastered the album managing to keep a certain clarity and distinction between every single note despite its reverberated heavy sound.
The album expertly tackles the dreamy post-black metal worlds of bands like Alcest and Deafheaven, all while pushing the genre ahead to new places. METAL INJECTION
Become Ethereal is post-black metal perfection, where the harshness of pain contrasts beautifully with the joy of catharsis. In one riff you can experience sorrow as well as elation… ECHOES AND DUST
This is an album that deserves to be experienced and enjoyed blind, so, if you can indulge me, I would like to talk about this album in a way that speaks of multiple experiences and metaphors, with all the stream of consciousness that comes with it. NINE CIRCLES
Not to be missed for fans of the genre and blackgaze masters like Alcest, Lantlôs, etc. Top notch stuff. THE PROGSPACE
Dense and divine, Become Ethereal by Sundrowned is a debut that just screams to be heard. Actually, a hodgepodge of Post-Black Metal goodness from Norway, Become Ethereal is less an album that needs to be heard and more an experience that needs to be felt from start to finish. ROCK AND ROLL FABLES
Become Ethereal is everything a Post-Black-Metal / Blackgaze or whatever you want to call the style of Black-Metal bands like Deafheaven or Alcest play. TRANSCENDED MUSIC
“Become Ethereal” is the first album in a series exploring the different facets of humanity seen through the lens of classical alchemy and the search for perfection. The album takes on the concept of the soul in the form of memories. Both how your own actions and experiences affect you as well as how the people around you shape your personality and emotional state.
The album cover was drawn by Norwegian artist Bernhard Østebø during an art performance where the band played though the entirety of the album while Bernhard improvised with coal drawings. Through this technique Bernhard retains an emotionally pure and almost shapeless visual style that fits perfectly with the aesthetics of the music.
