Heavy metal is home to some truly bizarre acts. Even beyond the costumed weirdness of Gwar or the unrelenting robed drone doom of sunn O))), you’ll find bands devoted to video game soundtracks, elaborate fantasy worlds, Ned Flanders, and more.

But even among the throngs of weirdo metal, Botanist stands out, particularly for using distorted dulcimers instead of electric guitars to deliver their religiously pro-nature lyrics, which are themselves delivered through a character named “The Botanist.” It sounds odd on paper, but it’s brought them a devoted cult following. Their new album, VIII: Selenotrope is the project’s eleventh full-length (and eighth solo record) is a testament to their ability to stay true to their unique voice without repeating themselves.

Right out the gate, the record sounds much more joyful than you might expect from a band with their roots in black metal. “Against the Selenic Light” opens the record in a triumphant major key, its dulcimers and blast beats accompanied by a piano part that might sound Boroque on its own. While there are several mood shifts across the record, it is largely absent of the darkness that informs most of their contemporaries (and much of their own back catalog).

At the same time, it comes from a very different place than other acts that have escaped the gloom of their black metal roots, such as Alcest, Sadness, or any other blackgaze group. They borrow far less from non-metal influences, remaining firmly rooted in the timbres of black metal without being beholden to its violence.

The songs themselves are gorgeous. Flourishes of strings and synths create a lush atmosphere. Screamed vocals are occasionally joined by a choir of chant-like clean vocals in harmony. “Angel’s Trumpet” in particular is absolutely spellbinding for these elements, as is the freeform instrumental title track. The closing track, “The Flowering Dragon,” is an enormous fifteen-minute epic journey through a fantastical narrative that changes key and meter more times than I could keep track of.

With all the inventiveness of this record, it’s a shame that the mix is as weak as it is. There’s a lot of great stuff going on, but the production doesn’t put it in the best light. The drums are often overpowering, which makes the dulcimers sound thin. The dulcimers themselves often sound like poorly recorded guitars, which defeats the purpose of using them, I’d think. The screamed vocals are also perpetually buried and indiscernibly quiet. At times I couldn’t tell if he was screaming or whispering. Even when clean, the lyrics are almost incoherent. This isn’t a huge problem in black metal, but Botanist’s reputation is largely built on their ecological lyrics, which I feel should rely on those lyrics being audible.

However, while the mix was a stumbling block for me early in the record, as the record went on it became less of an issue. Not that the mix got better later in the album, but the compositions were able to shine through despite those issues.

VIII: Selenotrope is out now through Prophecy Records.

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