Súl Ad Astral is an international duo divided between New Zealand and the United States: originally founded in 2011 by multi-instrumentalist Stephen Fortune, the project was soon completed by American vocalist and lyricist Michael Rumple, who joined in 2012.
With a debut album released in 2012 and a sophomore opus in 2014, the duo landed on Flowing Downward while working on the long-awaited third full-length studio recording, to be released after over four years of silence. Oasis, due out in December, is an assemblage of long, contemplative and emphatic passages on the thoughts and feelings around change and loss. As a project born drawing inspiration from Alcest and Lantlôs, Súl Ad Astral are one of the most interesting blackgaze artists to come out of continental Europe: shrieks and crystal-clean vocals, dilated, circular riffs and songs with an average length way over six minutes.
The improvement Súl Ad Astral had during this four-year period is evident, the maturity the band reached working on this new album is undeniable. Composer Stephen Fortune goes deeper into the concept on which the album is built, saying Oasis “is a reflection on change and perspective – to have the benefit of hindsight can sometimes be both a hinderance and a blessing and we must see and learn from life in this way if we want anything to come to fruition”. On the other hand, bandmate and lyricist Michael Rumple wants to thank him “for writing music which gives me a platform to process grief, trauma and the constant changes we encounter through life”.
Oasis will be brought to life on CD by Flowing Downward on December 12th.
