Completely missed this heavy melodic black metal release from 2017. Pretty impressive start to what will follow (Tome II is a whole different story). Also am a huge fan of the repeated two chord refrains throughout. When the first one kicks in a minute into track 1, it turns the song inside out and makes you need to listen further. Be sure to buy both Tome I & II and play through together in one sitting - that is when the intensity and complexity of the band's vision is most clearly appreciated. bcb723
It took me far longer than I care to admit to "get" Mare Cognitum. But here we are, all the way at the beginning, where it all started; and what a masterpiece it is. "Ambient" black metal is seriously underselling this album. It is raw, it is brutal, it will not hesitate to eat you alive; and yet it is musical, it is emotional, and it will shelter you with its wings. I often turn to metal when in times of rage, but Mare Cognitum has shown that rage can still be contained and reasoned with. Faith
The Belgian band explore heavy psych, tribal rhythms, free-jazz freakouts, meditative drone and the vast, shadowy spaces in between. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jun 22, 2020
Some of the best cosmic black metal I've heard. Mare Cognitum continues to prove themselves to be masters of crafting a vast, celstial soundscape, and the Lovecraft-esque atmosphere present throughout Aureole's half definitely made me want to check out the rest of their discography. honeycombguy