Here I have a cardboard digipack. Naked, cavorting hippy women adorn the front with their bottoms on full display, and on the back an imprint: Forest Stewardship Council recycled material. Yes, it’s Cascadian black metal! Addaura, from Seattle, are not at the forefront of the scene, perhaps, but their demo deserves a mention. Not as an essential release, but as a heads-up for those interested in this sort of thing. Four songs here span 36 minutes, each a windswept ride through downtrodden but gently tuneful black metal. As usual, it’s difficult to get far without referencing Wolves in the Throne Room, but in this case it really is hard to see beyond them as a comparison. As with Wolves…, harmonies shift slowly and thoughtfully above a rattling blastbeat which seems to remain static and unchanging for long periods, an effect that is almost meditative at times. There isn’t as yet enough depth in the band’s sound to make it really distinctive.

There are a few points to note. The male vocals, provided by Steve from Sanctum have a pained, yowling quality to them which gives this a layer of tension, and the spectral female additions are a nice occasional touch. At times, as with many of the best examples of this style there is an organic, folksy feel, as on the enigmatic acoustic passages within White Deer. That’s the opener and also probably the strongest tune, oozing with melancholic soulfulness, even if the band’s as-yet-rudimentary sound can leave it feeling seriously underpowered. Despite such limitations the music here is often genuinely evocative, moodily conjuring a rainy rural day in the Pacific Northwest.

Addaura is a work in progress; though they haven't found it yet, something tells me they are on their way to their own sound, and with more time and resources they will be well worth watching out for.