Everything about Uncharted distinguishes itself from the two-bit poser parade squabbling over crab droppings as they trail Abbath across the tundra. Songs spin long, not so long as to be indigestible, but always with a point in mind. Jon Nödtveidt is here in spirit, but instead of a record full of frost and fright, Netherbird embrace Bathory’s legacy in wandering the seas and stars. That restraint keeps the obvious Dissection pastiche from consuming the album the nod is sly and welcome instead of abrasive and ostentatious. It’s almost high brow, the type of subdued melodic black metal you might find Gaahl swirling in a wine glass. Opener “Saturine Ancestry” is the Netherbird of now-extensive in scope, ambitious in craft, built on the years of hard work that came before. The result is the most consistent, well-comported album of their career. However, their songwriting chops, improved in each iteration, push Uncharted over critical mass. On a sonic scale, the Swedes’ long-form black metal remains largely unchanged. Into the Vast Uncharted, then, is apropos, as despite that growth, Netherbird is a band searching for more. They’ve gone from garish gothic to contemplative pseudo-meloblack and the maturity required to handle that respectfully. Netherbird too evolved up quite a bit since the rocky, raw days of their youth. Though no less of a butcher now, it’s still a weird sign of growth, both for me and hopefully for acts returning for a smoother shave. Their half-beheaded corpses dredge up memories of growing-pains reviews and the struggle to swing a clean cut. I’ve kicked around these parts long enough to see bands return for a second or third review.
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