Very often when I try to sleep at night, I’ll use a wraparound headband with speakers built in and put on a cosmic black metal playlist. It just so happens the sounds of the stars mixed with the most unforgiving art form on the planet soothes me and helps inform my dreams, as I often go places in my mind I don’t at other times. I’ll likely do that tonight.

One of the regular artists that comprise that list is Esoctrilihum, the one-man project long helmed by sole creator Asthâghul, who has given us 11 full-length records since this banner’s debut eight years ago. The latest is “Döth-Derniàlh,” a seven-track, 78-minute adventure that sounds very much like the band’s previous output in spirit and adds a 12-string acoustic guitar to add extra texture, as well as a nyckelharpa. It’s an exciting new chapter from an artist who has given us five albums the last two years alone and continually finds new ways to keep the creative flow raging throughout the universe, the deepest, darkest regions that always have informed Asthâghul’s music.

“Atüs Liberüs (Black Realms of Prisymiush’tarlh)” is the 10:13-long opener, leaning in eerily as keys glow and strings pulsate, Asthâghul’s unmistakable cries wreaking havoc. The playing grows more propulsive, the vocals strangling as acoustics wash in, sounds bouncing and penetrating wounds, ending in a storm cloud hanging everlasting. “Turiälh (The Gloomy Wheel of Confusion)” is immersive, throaty howls doing damage, a cosmic wind shaking the trees. The playing turns blunt and then tornadic, gothy beams making everything blacker, strangeness surging into a new acoustic gasp. Beastly madness strikes as growls lumber, gurgles bubbling to an ominous close. “Dy’th Eternalhys (The Mortuary Renewal)” is the longest track, running 15:53 and stomping through time, mystical powers flowing into your blood. Synth darts have impact as grim wails choke with force, spiraling black metal increasing the impact, guitars chiming as chants paint the air. Coarse growls and jangling guitars mix, sending the energy into the skies.

“Lüthirkys Spasmuldis (Near Death Experience)” opens in acoustics, wild shrieks bending minds, a trancey vision taking hold. The vocals crush as sorrowful melodies create a sullen atmosphere, speed and ferocity uniting as lush strings flood, panicked screams disappearing into the shadows. “Zilthuryth (Void of Zeraphaël)” dawns with folkish strings, breezes causing your flesh to rise, drums tapping as if off the side of your skull. Wondrous playing fills your chest with emotion, acoustics building as the vocals gets nastier, chants swirling amid chambery sounds and spirits. “Murzaithas (Celestial Voices)” blends quiet guitars and singing echoing and swimming, digging in as the playing gets more vicious. The harshness multiplies, guitars soaring and stretching imaginations, a strange haze sinking into the developing drama, smoke choking lungs. Sounds rise as an explosion tears off doors, mashing and mangling, slowing fading away. Closer “Özhirialh (The Mystical Radiance of the Eternal Path)” runs 11:13, the singing mixing with metallic riffs, sounds crashing off walls. An easier glide makes it feel like serenity has arrived, but it’s not long until blood flows again, acoustics brushing as the singing turns savage. Strings gust as the drums mash, guitars light up and increase the temperature, and one last taste of viciousness ends everything in complete disorientation.

Asthâghul’s creative vision appears to know no bounds, and with the addition of acoustic instruments and other weapons, he manages to add new ghoulish energy to “Döth-Derniàlh.” Esoctrilihum is a project that certainly has demanded a lot of its audience but also has rewarded it with a flood of releases, each a step ahead from the ones before it, taking your mind and Asthâghul’s into new corners. This is another daring mission into metal’s sun, charring its edges and forging new pathways other artists fear to tread.

For more on the band, go here: https://esoctrilihum.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/record-label/i-voidhanger-records/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records/