Aara unveil ‘Unstern’ from their upcoming album ‘Triade III: Nyx’

AARA present a second song from “Nyx“, the concluding installment of the Triade album trilogy which gives musical form to Gothic novel “Melmoth The Wanderer“. ‘Unstern‘ appears at the album’s mid-point and mirrors a dramatic side plot in Charles Robert Maturin‘s lyrical 19th century work.

The composition sees the Swiss Black Metal band perfecting their trademark melodic sound in a maelstrom of blasting drums, euphonious guitars, foul whispers and screams – an enthralling and fearsomely atmospheric symbiosis of text and music.

Composer Berg elaborates:

“In the case of ‘Unstern‘, as well as with all other songs on “Triade III: Nyx“, the songwriting is somewhat simplified. There are fewer riff changes, parts are getting repeated more often, and fewer solo guitars are used. As a result, ‘Unstern‘ particularly appears to be more grounded than AARA‘s otherwise occasionally overwhelming sound which also employs slower parts. At the same time, we stay true to the AARA style by using the same elements – including the use of choirs, which can effectively emphasize a specific mood. I am not sure why we did it that way this time, it just sorts of happened!“

The term ‘Unstern‘ is an archaic German word originally used to denote bad luck hanging over a person or a whole household being severely cursed. Lyricist Fluss comments on the title:

“In the song ‘Unstern’ we tell a side story from Maturin’s novel, actually. It speaks of a family that has become bitterly poor through a series of unfortunate events and has to fight day after day to avoid starving. Finally, the father of the family is invited by Melmoth, who seeks out the miserable, to gift him with all earthly goods he can think of, for the price of his soul. But despite all his woes and those of his family, the father is not ready for such an exchange and rejects Melmoth. The suffering is described very intensely in the novel, to the point of madness triggered by hunger, and exemplifies how Melmoth seeks out his victims to redeem his soul from damnation. But it also shows the strength of the people who, despite all the pain and suffering, hold on to their salvation and do not allow themselves to be seduced by the devilish temptations. Thus, after the expiry of the hundred and fifty years agreed upon with the devil, Melmoth has to face his fate and pays the price with his soul, which is told in the further course of the album.“

“Triade III: Nyx” will be released on CD, vinyl and digital on March 31st. Pre-orders are possible via our EU, US and Bandcamp shops.

Switzerland’s AARA was founded in 2018 by vocalist Fluss and multi-instrumentalist Berg to create art highly influenced by atmospheric Black Metal. Sporting an epic, classical feel, their sweeping compositions aim to take the listener through the darkest alleys of human existence.

Soon after releasing their debut record “So fallen alle Tempel” in early 2019, AARA joined forces with Debemur Morti Productions, releasing their mosaic EP “Anthropozän” that same year.

Barely a year after their debut, AARA unveiled a new full-length record in April of 2020. A conceptual look into Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, “En Ergô Einai” sees AARA take their accomplished sound to new heights of mature artistic expression. Opened with a haunting acoustic intro courtesy of Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD), “En Ergô Einai” is a triumph of fluid melodic euphoria and classical elegance, setting an even higher watermark in a bright, young discography. The third album and beginning of a trilogy, namely “Triade I: Eos“, was released in March 2021. In this epic and dramatic new work of art, AARA are interpreting the Gothic novel “Melmoth The Wanderer” (1820) of Irish writer Charles Robert Maturin.

Venturing forth into the next chapters of Maturin’s work, AARA crafted the second part of their trilogy, “Triade II: Hemera“. The six tracks of brutally melodic, top-tier Black Metal was released in May 2022. The third and final album of the Melmoth trilogy will see the light of day on March 31st, 2023.