Artist: Silent Millenia
Country: Finland
Label: Self-released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2025
If you came here because the artwork of ‘Celestial Twilight (Beyond the Scarlet Veil)’ reminded you of Odium and Limbonic Art, then I’m happy to tell you: you’ve come to the right place! Silent Millenia is the handywork of a gentleman called Abhorrentius, and this is already his second record with the band.
And just as the artwork promises, Silent Millenia takes a basis of Odium, Limbonic Art, Emperor and Kvist for its Symphonic Black Metal. In addition, Abhorrentius honors the musical heritage of his homeland Finland by aiming for a more contemporary sound, much in the vein of bands such as Warmoon Lord, Vargrav and most of all, Moonlight Sorcery. While not nearly as technical as that last band, the flowing melodic guitar leads are very similar and weave the tracks together. In a sense it carries the same melodicism as some Swedish Black Metal bands, and in particular a track like ‘Enthrone the Spectral’ reminds me of the utterly glorious Dawn album ‘Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)’. Quite frankly, Abhorrentius has done a phenomenal job with this second Silent Millenia record, combining beautiful leads, cosmic soundscapes and at times blistering Black Metal. Despite the large influx of high (and admittedly, also plenty of lower) quality Symphonic Black Metal, ‘Celestial Twilight (Beyond the Scarlet Veil)’ manages to stand out as one of the very best.
The album is thundering and bombastic, where synthesizers lie slightly subdued in the mix, clear enough to give the cosmic accents but also humbly giving the stage to the lead guitars. Similarly, the drums are there, a powerful propulsion that is reliable and at times intense but never overpowers the melodious undertone of the song. The raspy shrieks add a sense of rawness to the music that is otherwise dictated by the guitar melodies. The layers are sometimes subtle, but other times presently melodic. In comparison to Moonlight Sorcery, the riffs are not nearly as complex but rather find their similarity in the overall feeling. And it is in this melodic beauty that he has struck gold. Take for instance the ending leads of ‘Riding the Stellar Path’, filled with a sense of cosmic awe, or the aforementioned Dawn-like riff in ‘Enthrone the Spectral’ that is then joined by an even more melodic lead. Abhorrentius is no stranger to some Ambient either, as shown by the interlude ‘Malevolent Star in the Slumbering Abyss’, but no doubt it’s songs like the bombastic ‘Benighted Path to Darkness Mysterium’ or the blistering ‘Daemonic Mastery’ that make the hearts of Symphonic Black Metal fans beat harder. Rich with synthesizers, twisting riffs and thundering drums, Simply put, Silent Millenia strikes a perfect balance between the bands of the late 90’s and the current resurgence of the genre taking place mostly in Finland.
‘Celestial Twilight (Beyond the Scarlet Veil)’ has toned down slightly on the complexity compared to the previous record ‘Starlit Tapestry’, and it is all for the benefit of the melody and the atmosphere. If Odium, Limbonic Art, old Emperor, Vargrav and Moonlight Sorcery are what your heart desires, then you’re in for a treat with Silent Millenia. I sincerely hope a label will pick this band up, this splendid record most certainly deserves a physical release!
