Review: “To Withhold the Need to Conquer” by Aspen Sanctum

Uniting members and former members of One with the Riverbed, Swamp Lord, Through the Mist, Lucius Fox and Fossil Eyes Kalamazoo Michigan based, Aspen Sanctum blend the atmosphere and intensity of Black Metal with influences drawn from the poison well of Post-Hardcore and Americana. Their name reflects the landscapes and seasons of the American Midwest with “Aspen” a glance at the forests and their changing colours and “Sanctum” a secluded and sacred place shaped by nature rather than human control. Written between November 2024 and December 2025 before being recorded during the early months of 2026, their debut album is “To Withhold the Need to Conquer”.

Bassist Bryan Neterer, drummer Tim Wicklund, guitarist Jeremy Cronk and vocalist Jared Koons are all seasoned musicians in their own right, veterans of many albums and so to find them working together on a project like this makes it an intriguing one even before you start listening. Their journey together down the left hand path begins with the enthralling seven minute surpassing “Without Illumination“, an intense and captivating burnt offering with caustic vocals and a lyrical narrative that offers pause for thought. Rich melodies from the guitars accompany rumbling bass and Black Metal drumming so you get the melancholic overtones of Scandinavian roots as well as sobering, mournful qualities with just that hint of vibrancy.

The eight minute surpassing “Poisoned Life” continues the flow while maintaining the energy, the expansive instrumental passages both incredible and immersive. Whats impressive about this one is how the four piece have managed to balance light and shade with expansive chord progressions so you get this contrast between the cleaner guitars and the relentless rhythms. That helps create these layers of atmosphere with the grinding bass and pounding percussion which is nothing short of astounding over the longer material. Sonically no less stunning, the shorter, sharper “Pillars” wastes no time in building the momentum, instead allowing Koons throaty screams to inflict as much damage as humanly possible.

The shortest composition is “The Plains Grow From the Hide” and contained within it you’ll find a soul stirring solo and mesmerising guitars with the crushing weight of the percussion and Koons glorious yet brutal vocals creating a tidal wave of emotive power that carries you along with it. You just can’t help but listen to these songs with a sense of disbelief because while the band put in more than a year into writing them the musicianship and attention to detail is incredible. “The Mortal Trap” finds a balance between aggression and melody, threatening but never quite boiling over as it plays out bringing to mind Harakiri for the Sky and perhaps even Alcest in the process. The bowel clenching lows of the vocals in the final third of this one are a demonic new low, before grand finale “Ancient Sentience“, the two tracks bridged by a little bit of synth. This final piece of the puzzle feels like the culmination of everything the four piece have been working towards here having a little bit of everything else on the record as well as a life of its own. A more majestic finale you might struggle to find, not just in this sub-genre but in others too. It’s rare that a debut album is of such stature that it commands a grand auditorium for live performances but this requires Sydney Opera House or The Royal Albert Hall to match it’s resplendence [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Without Illumination
2. Poisoned Life
3. Pillars
4. The Plains Grow From the Hide
5. The Mortal Trap
6. Ancient Sentience

“To Withhold the Need to Conquer” by Aspen Sanctum is out 7th August 2026 and is available over at bandcamp