Every artist needs their muse. For Avery Dart, that would be the eel, the main subject of Lurkers of Languid Waters, a record from his experimental ambient/black metal project, Escaping Aghartha. Dart uses his music to bring awareness to various environmental issues, such as the plight of frogs, birds, owls, the ocean, and pollution. The problem facing the eel, in particular the freshwater anguillid eels of Japan, Europe, and America, stems from overfishing. Dart seeks to raise awareness and money for the cause of protecting them. A portion of the record’s profits go towards Nature’s Anguillid Eel Specialist Group, a group that studies the population of these mysterious fish. Escaping Aghartha hopes you can spare some room in your heart for a moray.

A little-known fact about eels is their ability to shapeshift throughout the various cycles of their life, and Lurkers of Languid Waters similarly shifts genre across its 74-minute runtime. There’s progressive black metal, doom, drone, noise, industrial, ambient, dungeon synth, and more. The album is as slippery as its subject, though lacking in its bite. Opener “Eel Black Market” serves as a microcosm for the whole. The shifting guitar tones struggle to grasp for purpose from the start, and a repellent combination of “dirty” vocals and grating riffs starts things off on the wrong fin. Across 16 minutes, the song’s hooks fail to catch hold—a good outcome for the fish, but bad for the music. Escaping Aghartha utilizes synths that sound like a video game soundtrack, droning riffs, chanting, and bubble noises that make you feel trapped in a fish tank. Sure, the initial shock of the strangeness on display may grab one’s attention, but the intolerable nature of the music won’t hold it for long.

The choices that Avery Dart makes give the impression that he purposely set out to make the listener uncomfortable. To start, there are the vocals, mostly from Dart, that range from tolerable to unlistenable. By the end of “Eel Black Market,” his snarls are incomprehensible and grating. On the blackened doom of “The Phantoms that Haunt and Linger,” they are weak and muffled, contributing to a lethargic malaise. On “Eaten to Obliteration,” they are raw and hoarse. A few experimental choices bring to mind John Cage, such as bell chimes (“Eaten to Obliteration”) and a nightmarish buzzing segment that sounds like a mosquito in your ear (“Altered Currents”). These sections feel added without musical purpose, just random noise. This mammoth record will put you in the shoes of the eel in their final journey, when they travel thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea on nothing but their stored fat reserves, spurt out millions of eggs, and then sink to their deaths from exhaustion.

Remarkably, Lurkers of the Languid Waters undergoes a transformation once it crosses the hour mark. Hooks catch hold and stick. Buzzy guitars make way for hooky synths and blackened trems. Though “Transformations” is pretty good, it’s “Journey to the Sargasso Sea” where things really take a turn for the best. The album suddenly sounds musical and purposeful rather than meandering and dense. The synths and trems team up to conjure an uplifting, triumphant mood, serving as the soundtrack for the eel’s final journey. At 12 minutes, it’s a tad long, but its progressive structure keeps it engaging. This goes to show that a little bit of hooks can go a long way. If only Escaping Aghartha had applied this approach to the rest of the album.

I’ll give Dart this: I’ve learned a lot about eels and their plight thanks to my time with his record. The purpose of Lurkers of the Languid Waters is to spark interest, conversation, and perhaps even action to protect these misunderstood fish. Yet the mere existence of this album can only go so far if it’s a chore to listen to. I spent time with it because I took on the duty of reviewing it, but others likely won’t be so willing. I’d be more tempted to plunk down some money on a CD, which does feature some terrific artwork, if the music were just a little more tolerable. I’d love to help defend a cause like this, but my ears are important too.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 22nd, 2026

Mizmor is like the perfect band for me. They are the perfect blend of the style of black metal I love the most and the style of doom I love the most. Heavy as fuck too!!

And the lyrical content is something I relate to. All their songs is about his grief and existential crisis that came from leaving the church and losing a faith. 11/10.
https://mizmor.bandcamp.com/album/cairn

#BlackMetal #DoomMetal

Mizmor and Dopethrone coheadlining show tonight!! I'm excited!

such a weird mix. one is an ex-evangelical who creates deep songs about the process of losing faith and the existential/mental health crisis that unfolds in the aftermath. And the other band writes silly songs about Montreal methheads/drug addicts.

https://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/track/planet-meth

#DoomMetal #SludgeMetal #BlackenedDoom

Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, I have been putting together a benefit show for Louie’s legacy. They are a no kill foster based animal adoption network that hosts adoption events on the east coast and the midwest.

The date is still not set yet but once I get the info I will post it.
Look at it this way… you’re going to help animals find a loving home that need it… and you’re not helping humans 😜😜😜 so please pitch in!
#umbersound #animals #benefitshow #doommetal #metal

CHAINED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN (usa) + PRIMAL HORDE + LOBOTOMITE + BELLWORT @ NDG Legion

NDG Legion, Saturday, May 30 at 07:00 PM EDT

Be About It Presents…

CHAINED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN (Western Massachussets) - Sludgy doomy metal

https://chainedtothebottomoftheocean.bandcamp.com/

PRIMAL HORDE - Death Metal Core

https://primalhorde.bandcamp.com/album/primal-horde

LOBOTOMITE - Metallic Noisy Powerviolence

https://lobotomitemtl.bandcamp.com/

BELLWORT - Slow, sad and Heavy atmospheric music

https://bellwort.bandcamp.com/

Tickets at the door or online: https://beaboutitzine.bigcartel.com/product/chained-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-primal-horde-lobotomite-belwort

All Ages. May 30th at NDG Legion (Metro Vendome)

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/chained-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-usa-primal-horde-lobotomite-belwort-ndg-legion