ARA – Hohe Tannen, LP (Black)

ARA is the solo project of Viennese musician Schnee, taking shape in 2020 in the Ottakring district, built around a sound rooted in the raw and stripped-back end of black metal, informed as much by punk as by the genre's orthodox traditions. The debut demo Von der Nacht appeared in 2021, followed by three full-length albums in relatively quick succession: Gurre (2022), Blutroter Mond (2024), and Mutterseelenallein und aus eigener Kraft (2025). Each release has pushed further into its own territory — cold, direct, and carrying a distinct post-punk undertow that sets ARA apart from the wider black metal crowd.