I remember discovering Persefone, and their, then, newest album, Spiritual Migration. It was an insanely hot summer day in the shitty college dorms I was staying in. I was digging for progressive metal around on Metal Archives and YouTube. Out of nowhere this video for Spiritual Migration pops in the recommendations. It all seemed alluring so I went for it. It seemed to be quite fresh, having been out for only a few months. The next hour and ten minutes simply evaporated as I listened to the record, front to back, as if it was the icy cold water, I needed to slake my thirst and quell the heat.
It became one of my all-time favorite records and it stayed like that to this day. It was a mind-blowing experience back then and Persefone became one of the metal bands I held in the highest regard. I was rather disappointed with Aathma when it rolled around. It seemed to capture basically all the ideas from Spiritual Migration, but took nothing further. If anything, it felt like a discounted version, as if trying to emulate the previous greatness, with not enough of the magic that defined it the first time. The disappointment was all mine as I had high expectations and I can’t legitimately say that Aathma is a bad album.
Be all of that as it may, metanoia is here now. It really reignited my flame for the band and it also showed me that the spiritual successor to Spiritual Migration was bound to happen (as I so desperately hoped). As it is said, better late than never. Also, fair warning, I have basically nothing bad to say about this album and it’s all going to be basically frantic praise.
The title track, “Metanoia”, serving as the introduction to this musical journey is probably one of the finest intro tracks I’ve ever heard. This is due in no small part to the fact that we are graced with a guest vocal performance from none other than Leprous’s Einar Solberg. Going through my first listen of the record I ended up craving for more spots where we’d hear Solberg’s divine singing. Not that Miguel Espinosa’s clean vocals aren’t great and beautifully fleshed out, but let’s face it, Einar Solberg is just something else.
As if Einar Solberg’s appearance wasn’t enough of a surprise, we have another scintillating guest vocal performance. As “Aware of Being Watched” started playing I had to rewind a couple of times to make sure I’m hearing right what I’m hearing. We are greeted with Merethe Soltvedt’s (Angelflare) glimmering voice throughout the song and it makes for a lovely addition to the already rich vocal delivery of the record.
Right after, “Merkabah”, stands out, to me at least, as the brightest of the record’s highlights. I’m honestly surprised the band released it as a single, as basically no other song by itself stands close to it, maybe save for “Consciousness (Pt. 3)”. “Merkabah” is also by far the most diverse and dynamic track, packed with everything we love about the band, complete with a highly catchy chorus (or motif). That’s a power move right there if you ask me. I’m also, obviously, impressed because very few bands drop their aces like that before release.
Are the surprises over? Not so fast! The consciousness suite is completed this time around and it offers a very nice and cozy feeling of union and connection. The song itself is an eleven-minute megalith which beautifully ties with its previous incarnations, repeating some motifs from them, as well as the ending riff from “Returning to the Source”, topped off with the main motif from “Flying Sea Dragons” as its ending. I mean that’s pretty much a wrap on that, there’s basically no way it could’ve turned out better. I guess it would go without saying that it’s a stellar song with a great narrative flow and a perfect engagement factor.
The whole connection between metanoia and Spiritual Migration is only further emphasized by the lyrics from metanoia feeling like an extension of the ones from Spiritual Migration. The one thing that really got to me in this sense were the last three stanzas from the penultimate verse of “Anastasis (Pt. 2)” which read: “The universal flame/My Own Anabasis/My Spiritual Migration”. This is what basically tied the knot on that and hit home all the way.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how the song titles also tie in very well with the ‘naming convention’ from Spiritual Migration and how it stays true to the wholly spiritual dimension of the message. Metanoia is derived from the Greek ‘metanoiein’ (ad lit. repent) and refers to a change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence of spiritual conversion. Since it’s the title of the album, it works very well, succeeding a spiritual migration.
Katabasis is also of Greek origin, being used as a common term in ancient literature to designate a descent into the underworld, or the home of the dead. I’d read that in the context of the album as an introspective descent, where one faces his own darkness in order to ultimately ascend to a higher state of being.
The final Greek word we’re looking at, anabasis, used to refer usually to a military advance into the interior of a country. As I see it within the layers of the final three tracks, it feels less war like, and more like a march into an unknown territory, leaving a fair amount for us to interpret in terms of what may come next.
Finally, the last ‘odd’ term present throughout, Merkabah, comes from a Hebrew word signifying chariot or vehicle, mostly used to denote the spirit and said to provide protection and transport of one’s consciousness across to higher dimensions.
I think Persefone really doubled down on and nailed the entire spiritually inclined imagery, hammering out a very clear vision no matter how you look at it. The tunes are as deep and thrilling as ever. The further emphasis on the electronic and quasi-symphonic elements further enhance the glorious atmosphere and the esoteric themes.
Now you may be wondering at this point (if you made it this far), ‘why so little actual description of the tunes?’. Well, there’s really nothing to say that would appropriately depict the level of impact and charm. If you know the band, don’t miss out on this, and if you don’t – well – same. It’s an amazing journey that I wouldn’t want to spoil, even if I could (which obviously I can’t). If you ask me, metanoia is without a doubt the highest point Persefone reached thus far and will undoubtedly make top ranking in year-end lists as far as metal goes. I’ll also be spinning metanoia for the next few years, considering how much I managed to hang to Spiritual Migration.
