Wodfreca Records 2012
1.Admonition 2.Inhumanity Of The Human Race 3.Ashes Of Tyranny
4.Last Of A Dying Breed 5.The Spirit Of Fyrnsidu 6.Skeletal Skies
7.Tears For The Einherjar 8.Heremaecg Galdr 9.Possessed
Another one man band spawned from the UK underground; this
time round we have Hrafnblod, a blackened death metal project from the grimness
that is Telford. ‘Admonition’ is a short intro made up of spoken samples and
heavy distorted rumblings before ‘Inhumanity Of The Human Race’ blasts open
furiously. Insanely fast programmed drums set the pace, the buzz heavy guitars
following along with similar lightning speed and precision all backed up with
some great vocal work, making use of the black metal standard screams and well
as deep, guttural backing vocals. There’s a thrashyness to the riffs which
lends itself perfectly to the black metal assault. There’s also a hint of
‘Dimmu’ on display, a very slight hint it must be said. ‘Ashes of Tyranny’
follows on in similar fashion, the pace remaining at lightning speed but the
song taking on a more death metal feel, the tone of the guitars keeping the
‘black edge’ to the band’s sound. We even get to hear the bass under the buzz
heavy guitars, something not normally heard on the more black metal sounding
releases, but a welcome addition to the band’s sound nonetheless. This track
gets catchier and catchier the further on into it you delve, finishing on a
real high, the ‘Dimmu’ influence again (only very slightly) on show. ‘Last Of A Dying Breed’ begins in quite a
heavy, death metal fashion with the main opening riff taking on a very
death/thrash approach. It’s at this point that the programmed drums really
begin to sound ‘industrial’ and when they open up at the inhuman speeds really
begin to annoy. However, in this track the super-fast speeds are few and far
between, a slower more mid pace adopted. The ‘Vinyl Record’ effect half way
through this track a nice addition as the rhythm guitar lets loose with a
thrashy black metal riff. ‘The Spirit of Fyrnsidu’ suffers somewhat from the
outset, the programmed drums being its down fall. The hi-hats sound absolutely
horrendous which is a real shame; they are just way too high in the mix, far
too precise for the tracks own good. The drums really spoil what is a first
rate, brutal and atmospheric black metal song, buzz-saw tremolo picked guitars
absolutely seething and etched in a grimness not seen so far on this album. A
real shame they ruin this track and a prime example of why human drumming is
always favoured over programmed drums, especially in black metal (unless a more
natural, organic approach is used).
‘Skeletal Skies’ opens up mournfully, the
pace slowed to an atmospheric crawl, the highlight and driving force of the track
being the vocal delivery, first rate black metal vocals, a more growled scream
used to add real atmosphere. Simple but effective keyboards are introduced,
adding a new element to bands brand of black metal. It has to be said that the
band are far more effective and a much more attractive proposition when the
pace is slowed to a crawl. The drum production jumps out here, sounding much
more natural and adding to a sense of gloom and despair…something to think
about for the future maybe, slowing everything right down and opting for
atmosphere over speed? ‘Tears For The Einherjar’ is used as an interlude,
thunderous gloomy samples mixed with dripping water and what sounds like a
mouth organ creates a very gloomy atmosphere indeed and works extremely well as
a melodic interlude. ‘Heremaecg Galdr’ carries on perfectly form the previous
track, fading in with such mournful atmosphere it’s all beginning to take on a
DSBM stance which is no bad thing at all. As mentioned previously, the band
sound absolutely devastating when the pace is slowed to a gloomy and desperate
crawl. The track breaks abruptly with echo drenched spoken vocals taking the
lead briefly before the guitars open up again with the effective tortured black
metal vocals as an accompaniment. Very effective, very atmospheric and as good
as the band has sounded so far. Even when the pace is upped, it is increased
slightly into mid-paced territory which sounds so much better and more
effective than the hyper-speeds seen in earlier tracks. If only all the tracks
had sounded like this!
Closing proceedings is ‘Possessed’, fading in
menacingly, the tension and atmosphere and sense of foreboding really begin to
build and once again, atmosphere chosen over lightning speed which is a very
welcome decision. There’s a real eeriness to this closing track, almost
haunting in its delivery, especially when the vocals are introduced, used in an
almost chant like fashion. Being the last track it is used as an ‘outro’ for
the album, swirling wind samples mixed alongside mechanical, almost industrial
soundscapes, it’s a fitting end. A tale of two halves in effect, the first few
songs opting for speed over atmosphere and not working as well as the second
half of the album. The production on the drums ruining what are actually some
decent black metal songs. It’s only when the band decides to slow the pace that
they are at their best and most appealling. Everything begins to make sense
and musically everything falls into place perfectly. The atmosphere crafted on
the slower tracks is extremely compelling and very listenable. Drop the speed
and opt for atmosphere, it works so much better. If that’s not an option, get a
drummer and ditch the programming, it will work so much better. A lot of very
good songs on display which shows real potential for future releases, whatever
direction they might take only one man can make that call!
7 out of 10
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