Based out of the frigid capital of the colonial state known as Canada, Dismal Aura surfaced with their self-released debut, Praeagia Tristia in 2021. The trio blend second-wave black metal with crust punk and grind elements, an offering as bleak and chilling as it is melodic and impassioned. Composed of members with diverse cultural backgrounds and lived experiences, Dismal Aura explores socio-political topics such as colonialism, state-terror, and environmental destruction. Inspired by the essay Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe, Imperium Mortalia spans eight compositions that reckon with the grim relationship between the individual and the state, the exploitative nature of power, and the reduction of human life to commodity.
“One Path, Many Voices” is the second single taken from the album. The song laments the inability of human beings to work together for our collective betterment. We all walk the path of life but seem forever locked in struggle with each other as to how to do so. Throughout, the overarching hand of the state looms large, and too often we avert our gaze from its fundamental problems and bow to its hegemony. Yet the song is not without hope, inviting us to use our voices and navigate the divides that deny our solidarity.
Dismal Aura‘s Imperium Mortalia is scheduled for release on CD, LP and digital via Avantgarde Music on September 29th, 2023.
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