Australia’s Austere is one of the leading names in depressive black metal worldwide, and after all, we are talking about a group that has been active for more than fifteen years, although it must be said that this latest Corrosion of Hearts is only their third full length, which comes after the total discographic hiatus of the past decade. This long period of absence from the scene has not diminished the cult status acquired by the duo formed by Desolate (Mitchell Keepin, who was also the driving force behind the excellent funeral doom band Funeral Mourning) and Sorrow (Tim Yatras), as well as their compositional vis; moreover, those who would make some of the other alternative versions published by Lupus Lounge their own will also find a fifth track, a bonus track, which is a cover of Type 0 Negative’s Burnt Flowers Fallen, and may therefore be partially disconcerted by the completely different sound of this track, which is nevertheless rendered in a very personal way by Austere, even though it does not possess the same level of melancholic abandon as the four original tracks. It is precisely this that should be interpreted as a sign of a possible future opening up towards partially more catchy areas, even though overall this work already demonstrates a certain softening of the sound without this mortifying the quality, as is the case with other bands who, in fact, only offer honeyed music with a scream in the background; this is by no means the case with Austere, who keep their roots firmly in a sub-genre that they have contributed to making relevant, fatally attracting those who love more funereal sound expressions.
2023 – Lupus Lounge
Mournful Sounds 
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