A long-awaited third full-length from this Polish project that interested but ultimately let your reviewer down on previous tasting, with long songs that did a lot but not quite enough. And with a nearly entirely different line-up, live Mgla guitarist Lazarus being joined by Zann (Monasterium) on bass, Zerachiel (Pandrador, amongst others) on guitars and drummer Adrian Stempak (Jarun, also Pandrador), the stage is set for an album that improves upon its predecessor. And the good news is that Aesthetic of Hunger largely succeeds in doing so! Opener St Anthony's Fire begins with slow, almost Eastern strums before the doomy, foreboding riffs begin, a clear production allowing even the bass its place to shine. The band are still a little too reliant upon the blasting/doomy divergences, which can be buried sometimes in your attention here thanks to the Attila Csihar-esque vocal snarls and spews from Lazarus atop the same sort of slightly meandering instrumental foray that was off-putting previously.

Yet when the track is blasting along in the latter section it is quite grippingly grandiose and atmospheric, and the album only improves thereafter. The slight progressive touch to the intro to the following The Black Lotus helps it stand out in comparison, the bass and guitar interplay quite unusual for black metal even before the psychotic vocal torrent that follows, although it does seem like the track errs on the side of caution when it comes to its ending at just over five minutes. Sure, we appreciate the shorter tracks this time around but not at the cost of the music... still, the following Subversion & Simulacra continues the vibe with more of the proggy interplay and a jagged stop-start feel that keeps the listener on the edge.

From then on, things grow stranger, the more atmospheric and almost Morbid Angel-esque Ecclessiogenic Psychosis slowing the pace to a crawl to revel in the doomy bleakness before later speeding to crushing intensity. Around the midpoint it leads to clean guitar and near-oompa rhythms with a touch of folk and female squeals that are more Peste Noire than anything else, and from then on things get considerably stranger, Folie de Dieu starting with riffs and agitated German (?) yelling, Viaticum slowing proceedings for full doomy impact with tinkling piano. By the time you reach Act of Faith, which ends with a lengthy sampled piece that could be a witch hunt, the message of the album seems a little diluted and less effective than it could be. Still there's little to actually criticise in the meat of the album with even interlude Andrakt being compelling, echoing tones and melodies atop an electronic base, and a more effective listen overall than its predecessor. We still hope for that elusive masterpiece but we're getting closer. Absolutely the sort of album that rewards repeated plays (this review took your correspondent weeks if not actual months to complete!) but you know better is due down the line; for experienced necronauts.