Continuing from the previous feature on Oak Pantheon, fellow Minnesotans Amiensus conjure up a similar feeling of folky black metal. In fact, they did a two-song split release with them in late 2013. Their full-length, Restoration, succeeds partly due to its inviting atmosphere of melodic riffs and synths that keep things melancholic yet sometimes strangely uplifting. The icing on the cake is the ethereal clean vocals, particularly on the chorus of “Morgawr” (featured below) and the acoustic opening of “Become the Fear.”
Based on their evolution with their newest track, “Arise” (from the Oak Pantheon split), Amiensus will surely be elevating their status as one of the go-to American black metal bands very soon.