Petricor (Chile): “Australis”

From Santiago, Chile, Petricor is an atmospheric black metal one-man band formed in 2017 by El Ermitaño who shows himself in the guise of a ghostly evil elf. Apparently, the moniker Petricor is the name given to the smell produced by the first rain when falling on dry soils, and is therefore meant to allude to the dark side of nature that El Ermitaño intends to represent. The first album Australis consists of seven very long tracks with a total play time of over 51 minutes. Generally it is slow, minimal, with short melodic sequences or units repeated for a long time, I would say that it is almost drone black metal. If the influence of Burzum is sometimes evident, as for example in the first track, there is also something else, such as a certain hypnotic and obsessive effect, sometimes with good melodies. However too little happens on this album, it lacks those variations and evolutions that are found even in drone music. In addition, the poor, not just raw, production doesn't help either. All considered, Australis fails to be compelling, but if you like atmosphere, then listen to it.
 
Notes:
Petricor (Chile): “Australis” was self-released on June 20, 2020
 
Personnel:
Guitar, drums and arrangements: El Ermitaño.
Bass: Fernando Parra O.
Keyboards on track 3: Fernando Parra O.
Synthesizer on track 6: El Ermitaño.
 
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com