Encountering something that feels like it is mirroring similar feelings you’ve had inside, things you thought were unique to you, is quite the experience. Everything that shakes you inside or challenges you to try to overcome negative emotions seems so personal, so when you notice that elsewhere, especially in art, it can be a profound shift.

Pretty much from the start, “Grace of Departure” feels violently uneasy, like technically minded death explorers Aduanten are transferring their pain and frustration right into you. These four tracks don’t hold back, and while there also is a great amount of artistry on display here, there’s also just as much tumult. The band—guitarist Ciaran McCloskey, guitarist/synth player Michael Day, drummer/synth player/programmer Eoghan McCloskey—pours out its frustration over the decay and despair that have permeated a lot of lives, but they also save a moment to honor a fallen musician. This is a thunderous, exciting effort that really makes its mark.

“Cerulean Dream” starts with an atmospheric push before howls lash as if with a belt, immersive sounds surrounding as the rhythm section pounds. Energy spills as synth gusts and the wails dig under your ribs, the fury mounting before going clean and dissolving into a dream. “Decameron” has guitars liquifying into a moody fog, the vocals wrenching, desperate emotion arriving in waves. The guitars heat up and bustle as grainy power mars, the pace rushing and blending into darkness. The title track, which honors the late Nature Ganganbaigal from death/folk band Tengger Cavalry, opens with the drums activating and a progressive push showing new colors, guitars savaging as the howls aim for eye sockets. A great gust feels like it’s taking you under, guitars sweep and twist, and the vocals add a gale force attack that easily blows you backward. Closer “The Weakening Sovereign” has the drums rousing you awake, harsh wails leaving blistering, and then a black metal-style tidal wave overwhelms. The vocals turn more maniacal, guitars exploding and fluttering, a clean progression washing away streaks of blood and fading into oblivion.

“Grace of Departure” is a significant step forward for Aduanten, a band that mixes a nice variety of extreme sounds and dangerous edges into this enthralling EP. There is pain and despair that is apparent simply from absorbing the music, and then digging even deeper reveals more of that pain. From an homage to a fellow musician to a bloodletting on the tension building inside, this is an EP that, while short in stature, towers over you with its colossal spirit.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://namelessgraverecords.com/collections/nameless-grave-records-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://namelessgraverecords.com/