This duo based in Norway brings black metal back to the splendor of its origins, back when it told of the power of the earth and paganism. Over the years black metal has evolved and is continuing to progress and now has an incredible variety of subgenres and declinations. In the necessary progress it is a pleasure to hear such a well-crafted album with solid roots in the past. The Craving Within is a record that tends to get lost in the snow, to look out into infinity, thanks in part to a powerful and precise sound that harkens back to the early era of black metal, even if not all of the setup is orthodox. The Craving Within is the first long-distance record for this duo, centered in Chilean transplanted to Norway Ulf Niklas Kveldulfsson, an excellent multi-instrumentalist as well as a fine composer, while on vocals we find new member Stein Akslen, a veteran of the Norwegian scene. Both combine to create a record that aims high, as mentioned before, wanting to recreate a specific mood in the listener to take him or her to a different dimension. There are no breaks or filler pieces, or worse absurd and empty displays of black power, but a well composed record that has many elements that will make those who love black metal love it from the first listen. There are songs that are jams, more lysergic episodes, but what clearly predominates is the classic aspect of the genre that is always in evidence. Æra can be called a minimal band, because even the keyboards are hinted at, but the whole is very magniloquent and mighty,and you have that feeling of completeness that you had listening to some classic black metal, with the confidence proper to great bands. The Craving Within is a poetics that looks to tradition as a staple and to the past as a source of teaching. (M.Argo 17/3/2019)

2019 – Aeternitas Tenebrarum Musicae Fundamentum