Eldingar’s latest single, “Ode,” appears brash at first glance, especially for Hellenistic black metal. Stretching over 10 minutes, the second track from the group’s forthcoming album Lysistrata features brawny guitar riffs and never rushes to reach its conclusion. The Greek group want you to feel the weight of the track. To compound this, their textures are rounded and smooth rather than jagged, contrasting what’s traditional in black metal. Altogether, it’s a confident piece, but that’s because it needs to be. “Ode” deals with forlorn subject matter and thus must balance all its force with empathy. Nobody would say it’s the most emotionally devastating track in the world, despite its subject matter, but that’s a conscious decision by Eldingar. They offer support to those suffering from grief instead of trying to replicate it.
Listen to the track in full below.
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The band comments:
“ODE” is a hymn to the enduring pain and the human struggle to assimilate grief, often finding it difficult to express sorrow through tears. The lyrics touch on the emotional states that can lead people to despair, and in some cases, to suicide. Psychological dead ends, a timeless affliction, plague humanity and ultimately bring destruction—both in our era and throughout history.
Lysistrata releases November 1st via Vinylstores Records.
