Formed by multi-instrumentalist and composer Jeff Carter in 2012, Darkening’s goal was to deliver an atmospheric death metal package with elements borrowed from black, death and progressive metal. Fast-forward to 2015, and Carter delivers that package through the debut album called “Augür.”

This debut release is a strong statement of intent for what is hopefully going to be the first of many releases over the coming years. Opener “Departure” is a powerful and dark track, laden with a thick and palpable atmosphere throughout. It has a very clean, modern atmospheric doom sound to it.

“Stare at the Faceless Sun” begins with a short ambient intro, but it doesn’t take so long until the cannonade of riffs accompanied with a melodic outburst of vocals and acoustic guitars kicks in. Imagine early Opeth with a much more polished production, and you’ll have a rough idea of how the heavier portions of this track sound. “Whispers in the Trees” is built upon a cold, eerie sounding riff that wouldn’t sound out of place in many Black Metal anthems. The rest of a track moves forward rapidly, which really helps bring these riffs and the drums to life in many regards. Although I wish that drums would be more creative. This is quite easily the second best track on here, and could very well stand as the cornerstone of their repertoire in years to come. The best track is the “Etched Within”; this is the point where this album reaches its true climax, with confident, well played guitar parts, primal drumming and a real showcase of Carter’s vocal talents, not to mention the technical prowess on both guitars and bass. Once we reach the song which ends this release, “Imminence”, your appetite for great tunes has already been satisfied. And this song definitely is another one that is positively brimming with great music and talent, and is a great way to wind down “Augür.”

If you heard this album without any knowledge of the man that wrote and performed it, you’d be forgiven for believing that this is a band that has been going for a while. The musical image of this band is already fully formed. As far as debut releases go, this is a great one. Hopefully the ones that follow it will surpass the lofty standards that this album has set.

Get “Augür” from Bandcamp.