Delving into mystical realms and having adventures in lands that only exist in one’s imagination has been a tenet of heavy metal since the start. It’s one of its most admirable traits, a thing that keeps the music exciting and unpredictable because even if the music follows a pattern, the mythological journeys always seem to find ways to change.

Markov Soroka isn’t a stranger to that manner of thinking. Try on his bizarre Tchornobog project for good measure and report back to us once your nerves are calm. Well, he’s back with his spacey black metal band Aureole and third record “Alunarian Bellmaster,” the project’s first since 2016. If you’ve been along since 2014 debut “Alunar,” you know that each record treats us to stories from the realm that shares the same name as that first record, and that carries over here. Amid cloudy, spacey, nightmarish black metal comes the latest chapter that, as Soroka puts it, “When solar flares strike the Belltower at the right moment, inhabitants of Citadel Alunar can manifest a projected self.” It’s far more involved than just that sentence, and we have elements of worshipping absent gods, reckless consumption, and sacrifice that results in the belltower being relocated to a safe space away from destructive invaders. It’s a mesmerizing journey that connects the entire Aureole saga as well as music released by his other projects. It’s an all-encompassing universe.

“Solariis Strike [Activation >> Alunar]” is an opening instrumental built on sounds wooshing, calming keys melting, and an immersive front that leads into “Alunarian Ghosts of Bellmaster” that revels in bells (this element is worked into every song) and thick murk. The howls swirl in the air, and an immersive pressure builds and begins to swallow you whole, mixing into the eye of the storm. Wintry howls penetrate as bells toll for darkness, percussive clashes strike, and we’re into “10,000 Bells Resonate Cosmos Untold” that continues the haunting ambiance. The playing pulses and hits a tornadic high, melodies enter the mix and change the color scheme, and the keys loom ominously overhead, disappearing into a sound halo. “Warpstorm [Invasion >> Alunar]” basks in drum echo, the sounds warping as the percussive strength begins to grow. Sounds crash as the icy, isolated power infects, the playing ricocheting as we move into “Arrival of Deathless Interlopers” that dawns in thunder cracks. A synth haze thickens and covers the land, chilling elegance becomes a major factor, and the sounds mimic a centering helicopter. Then a massive surge explodes, sizzles, and then pulls back into the coldness.

“Orbiting Among Alunarian Ruins” brings shrieks, cascading wonders of sound, and the storm crushing with inexplicable weight that easily suffocates. Moody guitars soar as the atmosphere darkens, shrieks slash, and the energy pushes toward the stars, ending everything in fantastical fashion. “Beware That Which Inhabits the Belltower” explodes with threatening guitars, sweltering noise flooding, and the melodies charring. Beastly noises rise and choke out the sun, voices swarm and emerge from a vacuum, and that bleeds into “Alunarian Surrender” where the keys drip and pool quickly. The pace sweeps as the guitars pick up power, a gazey atmosphere taking control and adding color and warmth. Shrieks reengage as the melodies flood, and an eerie calm swelters, the keys softly fading away. Closer “[UGC 2885 >> Spawn a Second Citadel Bell…]” basks in spacey ambiance and wonders, the keys cascading and glistening, the mists thickening and marring sight. A soft cloud cover pushes you into the maw of the cosmos, pushing as the sounds descend, drifting and settling into the bells that are now ringing in your head.

Aureole is Sorka’s most immersive, imaginative project, and there’s as much sonic and psychological softness as there is brutality on “Alunarian Bellmaster.” The ongoing and bizarre events in Alunar that are detailed here make for a record that’s a fascinating fantasy tale, which drinks deeply from metal’s roots as sci-fi stories create a foundation for this genre. As each chapter builds for Aureole, we learn more, and as the musical elements continue to darken and spread, our imaginations go along for that journey.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/AureoleBM

For more on the label, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/bellmaster

To buy the album, go here: https://us.prophecy.de/