Album Review: Apostle – A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon (Terminus Hate City)

Atlanta metal trio Apostle return with their new album, A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon, set for release on the 5th of June via Terminus Hate City.

Apostle formed in Atlanta, Georgia back in 2017 and deliver a sound that bridges chaotic hardcore, grind, post-black metal, and atmospheric post-rock. They channel themes of grief, spirituality, emotional vulnerability, and the human condition into music that balances overwhelming intensity with moments of stark beauty and reflection. Across releases like Shallow Graves, Sufferer and I Have Tried to Speak Through the Soil in My Mouth, the band have continually refined their emotionally charged sound. In 2021, Apostle went through a defining lineup change as vocalist Cameron Austin departed.

Apostle pivoted to become a three-piece with guitarist Murice White moving to vocal duties while Michael Thomas transitioned to bass, solidifying the lineup alongside drummer Evan Price. This evolution marked a turning point in the band’s creative direction, deepening both their sonic atmosphere and emotional scope. It also led to the band signing with Terminus Hate City in 2022, pushing them towards the release of their latest album, A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon. A record the band state represents their most fully realised work to date and one that draws from existential philosophy and deeply personal experiences with grief and remembrance.

The album’s title references Carl Jung’s description of humanity as a “splinter in the infinite deity,” framing the record as an exploration of spiritual duality, grief, and self-examination.

Exiting the God Hologram introduces the album, starting with the noise of an approaching train, a sample recorded from vocalist and guitarist Murice White’s apartment. The train feels like an appropriate introduction too for the weight that follows. The song lacks any real obvious structure at first, instead seeming almost like a buffet of different forms and styles. There is lots of distortion, metallic riffing, aggressive vocals and thick bass lines. The drums are impressive too, moving comfortably between the different paces and tempos. It’s heavy and you can feel the emotional weight Apostle are throwing behind the song. Melody adds form and depth too and I really enjoy the cleaner backing vocals alongside the hardcore-like shouts. It’s an interesting and creative start and has a touch of uniqueness about it.

Illusion of Loss is a shorter track with a richer tone and a dissonant, discordant feel. A song about loss, you really feel that emotion here. Less than two minutes in length, and with a chunk of that taken up by a closing sample, it still impresses in how it arrives, makes its point clearly and leaves you thoughtful in its wake.

Swine ramps the aggression up in a song that sounds and feels angry and urgent. The riffs are distorted and chaotic at times while the drums and bass add depth and power underneath. I really like the vocals and the different tones and styles leaned on throughout the track as it keeps things feeling fresh. I also like how the melody slowly builds into the song as it progresses. Emotionally, it feels like it is suffocating you as the track continues, adding more and more feeling and aggression, turning into chaos as it chokes you of air until you black out.

Distortions of Light begins with a recording of E.E. Cummings offering advice to his students. As he states, “…but the moment you feel, you are nobody but yourself”, Apostle kick into gear with a darker and deeper track. Four tracks into A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon and we are definitely getting a lot of variety. The slower, moodier pace combining with those hardcore shouts and yells works wonders and the brooding melodies are excellent.

Oscillating Polarities is up next and is an appropriate name for this twisting and turning track. It’s chaos, pure and stripped back, with intense drums and screams bringing you to the brink of madness. It’s also the most directly heavy track on the album with sections of the darkest guttural vocals delivered so far. What I like a lot though is that as you listen, you start to find comfort in the chaos. You find the groove and start uncovering the melody underneath. I adore the drum tapping break in the middle that starts to elevate that melody and groove even further. This is probably my favourite track on A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon so far and we only have one to go.

That one is At Ease and it is the longest track on the album at over seven minutes. On an album that often feels like a showcase of what Apostle can offer in their evolved form, this is another standout moment. Cleverly bringing the whole album together by reusing the guitar melody heard at the end of opening track Exiting the God Hologram, Apostle really lay themselves bare here in a powerful, heavy and atmospheric closer. Yells and screams sit over richer melody while the drums grow and swell underneath. It still has touches of chaos but this time it feels desperate rather than angry.

As the song progresses, Apostle continue to demonstrate their creativity. A slowdown to the pace of the slowest doom tracks leaves us time to reflect and breathe. A guitar solo slowly grows out of that moment, mournful and sorrowful at first before building in emotional weight as we sway towards the close of this impressive album.

A Splinter in the Infinite Noumenon feels like a very clever and deliberate statement from Apostle. Across its short runtime, the band showcase just how much depth, creativity and emotional weight they can pack into their evolved sound. It is heavy, chaotic, atmospheric and surprisingly thoughtful all at once, with plenty of variety across the six tracks to keep things feeling fresh throughout. The samples are maybe leaned on a little too heavily for my personal taste at times, but that is ultimately a minor issue on an album that does such an impressive job of balancing aggression and emotion.

Track List:

1. Exiting the God Hologram
2. Illusion of Loss
3. Swine
4. Distortions of Light
5. Oscillating Polarities
6. At Ease

Apostle Links

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