Auric is as sludgy as can be. With tinges of black and doom metal, this makes for a very oppressing record. It’s heavy, it’s ugly, and it’s scary.

The album starts off in your face, and it ends in your face, and there are very few moments of rest in-between (the first half of Stagnate being the most prominent one). I really like the atmospheres that are being brought in the music, just making you feel unwell. The last song, Rib Cage Prison, imports elements of post-metal too, giving to the song a different feel than the rest of the album, but a welcomed one since it is masterfully done. That last song has really interesting ideas for the genre, and it’s only fair to think that the band would develop them more in their upcoming works.

Empty Seas is definitely a step up from their 2014 self-titled debut, but this trend is unfortunately only rarely kept. Such bands often release a disappointing third release and from there on it’s all ups and downs. Let’s just hope that Auric 3.0 doesn’t disappoint, and in the mean time you can revel in the awesome brutality of Empty Seas.