Graveland
Following the Voice of Blood
[No Colours]
I finally received this disc the other day, the very release that has caused me many a headache for the last few months. You see, as soon as I moved to Canada (almost the same day I believe) for school, this disc was released in Europe. I doubt anyone cares for my adventures in finding this though (not that their very exciting..), so I'll skip to the review :)
"Following the Voice of Blood" is Graveland's sixth CD release (well 7 if you count Isengard's re-release of 1000 swords) and because of the fairly decent success of "1000 Swords" obviously their most anticipated. Karcharoth is strangely no longer with the band, and because of that, I'm bringing forth the theory that he is in fact Anextiomarus of Infernum. There's a fair deal of evidence in support of that, (although as someone pointed out to me the other day, his vocal track on "Carpathian Wolves" sounds nothing like Infernum) but hopefully someone will come forth with some info to appease all follower's of the Polish scene. Capricornus, just as in "1000 swords" is also pointed out as a session player, making me wonder exactly what he's up to at the moment (Not Infernum obviously...). Because of this confusing line-up presence, Darken is credited with a fair deal, and makes him most vehemently out as the "musical genius" behind this band.
As mentioned before, this is going to be a lengthy one so I'm going to break this review down into various sections for you viewing/reading pleasure:
THE MUSIC: For those of you whom have been following Graveland for a few years now, you'll have noticed that the music, and in particular the general style/aura of the band progressed a great deal with the release of "1000 Swords". The music became based more on folk/Celtic sounding riffs, and some of the rawer/faster parts from the earlier albums were sacrificed in exchange for more interesting guitar sections and atmosphere. "Following the Voice of Blood" picks up from where "1000 Swords" left off, and although not progressing too much, a great deal of time/thought has been put into the new album.
TRACK BREAKDOWN: 1)Intro: I've really enjoyed Graveland's intro's/outros in the past, mainly because they've been *actual* parts of the music, rather than just space fillers. I especially enjoyed Karcharoth's intro on "1000 Swords", and considering just how good it was, I didn't expect much from this one. Luckily, Darken has pulled through, and produced a fairly lengthy and epic synth piece. It nicely sets the pace for the album, and brings forth feelings of both a classical sounding war march and some colder, crankier feelings (mainly because of the spoken section found near the end).
2) White Hand's Power: This somewhat surprised me. The song somewhat creeps up on you, and progresses at a loud, grinding pace. Capricornus' drumming can be heard (it's a fairly simple style to point out) moving in it's well-known fashion as the volume slowly raises, and Darken even let's out a couple of cranky sounding screams. A bell is heard, the music stops, and the Graveland sound some of us are familiar with breaks out. Mid-paced, Darken's drunken vocals guiding the thick sounding (yet metallic, as if he's raping the strings with his pick) guitar's over Capricornus' crack-induced bell-hits. The speed raises for a few moments, Darken's vocals stop, and then the keyboard's kick in. The synth riff here is fucking grand....it produces such a great atmosphere, but slowly dies out in exchange for the mid-paced and straight-forward music found at the start of the track. Tasteful, hate-filled, and very much Graveland.
3)Thurisaz: A reverb-drenched clean riff done in a familiar style starts this song out. Again, this has heavily impressed me, simply because it's very emotional sounding. Some heavy bass drumming is brought in with a gong/bell, the reverb dies, and a quick riff in the background builds up to a total stop in the music. What pops up next is a simply *GREAT* riff. It's very fast-paced, but *so* atmospheric (it nicely combines with some background synth) that it fills not only your ears, but the entire room in which your stereo is located with it's aura. Unbelievably emotional, yet so hate-filled, done in a style which Graveland are very successful at in my mind. Some more diverse guitar and key riffs bring the song to a lengthy end. Easily my favorite Graveland track of all time.
4)Following the Voice of Blood: Very folk-metal sounding, in a traditional fashion that if done with acoustics would sound more like a Chieftains song than one done by Graveland. Darken's very recognizable synth then picks up and carries the song, and moves at a slow, gloomy pace. One of Graveland's traditional stops makes way for another fast-paced riff (the speed has been picked up on this album, but not in a sloppy was ala first few releases, it combines nicely with the atmosphere) and the speed switches on and off from there. The bass strings seem to be just hanging off the body of the instrument here, since during the slower section they can be heavily heard slapping around. The song ends in a drumming orgy of sorts, with Capricornus' going all his kit in a violent way.
5)Forge of Souls: Not an actual "proper" song, but rather a tasteful synth bit. Darken is obviously a talented keyboard player (he showcases this on his Lord Wind project), but he keeps everything very low-key sounding. The synth moves at a slow and brooding pace, but slowly builds to a quiet sounding finish. A quick yet well-done break to the otherwise insane music.
6)Raise the Swords: An almost familiar bass-heavy riff starts this track out. The other instrument's quickly kick in though to produce a very up-beat and folky build up to the speed. The track runs through at an interesting pace, alternating between a fast section and a more up-beat (yet still very fast paced) folk bit. Wow! This is really quite impressive and catchy at the same time. After a few minutes of this though, a simple riff makes way for a slower section where Darken's vocals are concentrated on more than the music. Everything quickly starts to go backwards mid-way through the song, and were treated to a fairly strange sounding synth bit. Capricornus'' drumming works nicely on this track, and although sloppy, is just so darn strange and chaotic sounding that it deserves to be respected. Another above-amazing track.
7)And the Horn Was Sounding Far Away: A deep sounding, moody, and emotionally successful synth bit sets this track up. It's all very atmospheric, with the sound of waves crashing up against rocks, but then out of the blue, something sounding like a Mortiis (!!) track (those loud, screeching synth-horns) takes your ears by surprise. Ouch. And then, to add even more surprise to the track, a very original sounding reverb/guitar section takes the music over, almost as if the guitar amp is being recorded from underwater. Ah, but don't worry, those ever-loving bell-hits, cranky guitars, and vocals quickly kick in. I found this most excellent, simply the instrumental/synth section at the beginning was very lengthy and nicely set up the mood for the fast paced music. Darken's vocals work well on this track, sounding a tad more drawn out, contrasting nicely with the fast paced drumming and confusing mess of a guitar riff found in the background. A single-note guitar lead (!!) combined with some thick synth takes the music over...amazing, emotional, !!!!!!! (!!!!).
8)Fed By the Beasts: Although the first few minutes of this are very Graveland-ish, the laid back synth bit at the end of this is not. It sounds excellent, and fit's in perfectly with the music, but it's somewhat experimental in it's simplicity and general beauty. This is a (for the most part) slow, doomy, and fairly emotional track with some very light and eerie sounding keyboards in the background. There's some typical Graveland on this track though, and some speed for a better part of it, but it still manages to retain a doomy, smooth feel to it. Very nice.
9)Outro: Just a continuation of the first part of the intro. Epic sounding....similar to a gloomier version of something off a Conan movie, or a mid-paced war march.
THE LYRICS: Well....this is Graveland...these are a bunch of Polsk bastards...and if your looking for some well-written and smooth sounding poetry, then forget it. Lyrics are similar to previous material, and follow a paganistic, fantasy, and just plain confusing basis for some hidden racial messages. Minus the raw English though (well, near butchering actually) the words here are fairly original, especially the lovely tale given to us in "Fed By the Beasts". This recounts the tale of two young children captured by two separate forms of beasts, who end up haunting [??] a forest...the story then goes off into one of Darken's little "soul wandering" fantasies. I find it strange that in letter's, both Capricornus and Darken have fairly decent English, but here...agh, never mind. "White Hand's Power" is written by JFN of the German band Absurd, also on No Colour's, and also a very good band (what is Absurd up to...besides jail and so on???).
THE PACKAGING: Similar to 1000 Swords, since it's done in black and white (with gold print) and because of that, is very tasteful. Lyrics are contained, as well as various photo's of wolves having a fine time in the snow. Two pics of Darken are also included, mentioned only because in one of them it looks like he's wearing a fur hat. Well, he's not (it's a helmet), but it is somewhat comedic to draw parallel's to this with communism...well, the few of you who do get the point then bravo.
PLAYING TIME: 68:07!!!!!!!!!! All of the songs are in the 8-12 minute range.
OVERALL: "Although today many people sell their bands and money is the only god for them, although they left Black Metal to be commercial trend..But there are still some people who will never give up..WE dedicate this album to those people...Darkness covers the underground"-Darken. This sums it up nicely, this album continues it the "no-trends" fashion reserved for people who actually love *black-metal*.
Hate-filled, cranky, beautiful, emotional...although I never thought I'd say it, this is the finest Graveland album to date. It may be a tad more difficult to listen to then "1000 Swords", but it's just so bloody epic in sections and wonderfully played (not technically, musically) in other's that it get's my vote. Graveland have, throughout the years never turned their back on the underground, something I *really* respect them for. They've always answered letters, produced REAL black metal, and never over produced or whored themselves enough to appeal to the weaklings, cap-heads, and other form's of human stupidity that have been plaguing the scene for years now. The music here will still appeal *only* to lovers of this form of black metal. The trendies and other cunts out there will always call it "boring", "stupid", and ask how some of us can even listen to it (while Satyricon or Dimmu Borgir play in the background), but very few of us who have supported the band will ever turn our back on it. It simply strikes a chord with a small percentile of the black metal population, and the few that are actually hit by it's power are left in utter and total awe of the amazing music created by the band. 88!
© 1997 brand
"Following the Voice of Blood" is Graveland's sixth CD release (well 7 if you count Isengard's re-release of 1000 swords) and because of the fairly decent success of "1000 Swords" obviously their most anticipated. Karcharoth is strangely no longer with the band, and because of that, I'm bringing forth the theory that he is in fact Anextiomarus of Infernum. There's a fair deal of evidence in support of that, (although as someone pointed out to me the other day, his vocal track on "Carpathian Wolves" sounds nothing like Infernum) but hopefully someone will come forth with some info to appease all follower's of the Polish scene. Capricornus, just as in "1000 swords" is also pointed out as a session player, making me wonder exactly what he's up to at the moment (Not Infernum obviously...). Because of this confusing line-up presence, Darken is credited with a fair deal, and makes him most vehemently out as the "musical genius" behind this band.
As mentioned before, this is going to be a lengthy one so I'm going to break this review down into various sections for you viewing/reading pleasure:
THE MUSIC: For those of you whom have been following Graveland for a few years now, you'll have noticed that the music, and in particular the general style/aura of the band progressed a great deal with the release of "1000 Swords". The music became based more on folk/Celtic sounding riffs, and some of the rawer/faster parts from the earlier albums were sacrificed in exchange for more interesting guitar sections and atmosphere. "Following the Voice of Blood" picks up from where "1000 Swords" left off, and although not progressing too much, a great deal of time/thought has been put into the new album.
TRACK BREAKDOWN: 1)Intro: I've really enjoyed Graveland's intro's/outros in the past, mainly because they've been *actual* parts of the music, rather than just space fillers. I especially enjoyed Karcharoth's intro on "1000 Swords", and considering just how good it was, I didn't expect much from this one. Luckily, Darken has pulled through, and produced a fairly lengthy and epic synth piece. It nicely sets the pace for the album, and brings forth feelings of both a classical sounding war march and some colder, crankier feelings (mainly because of the spoken section found near the end).
2) White Hand's Power: This somewhat surprised me. The song somewhat creeps up on you, and progresses at a loud, grinding pace. Capricornus' drumming can be heard (it's a fairly simple style to point out) moving in it's well-known fashion as the volume slowly raises, and Darken even let's out a couple of cranky sounding screams. A bell is heard, the music stops, and the Graveland sound some of us are familiar with breaks out. Mid-paced, Darken's drunken vocals guiding the thick sounding (yet metallic, as if he's raping the strings with his pick) guitar's over Capricornus' crack-induced bell-hits. The speed raises for a few moments, Darken's vocals stop, and then the keyboard's kick in. The synth riff here is fucking grand....it produces such a great atmosphere, but slowly dies out in exchange for the mid-paced and straight-forward music found at the start of the track. Tasteful, hate-filled, and very much Graveland.
3)Thurisaz: A reverb-drenched clean riff done in a familiar style starts this song out. Again, this has heavily impressed me, simply because it's very emotional sounding. Some heavy bass drumming is brought in with a gong/bell, the reverb dies, and a quick riff in the background builds up to a total stop in the music. What pops up next is a simply *GREAT* riff. It's very fast-paced, but *so* atmospheric (it nicely combines with some background synth) that it fills not only your ears, but the entire room in which your stereo is located with it's aura. Unbelievably emotional, yet so hate-filled, done in a style which Graveland are very successful at in my mind. Some more diverse guitar and key riffs bring the song to a lengthy end. Easily my favorite Graveland track of all time.
4)Following the Voice of Blood: Very folk-metal sounding, in a traditional fashion that if done with acoustics would sound more like a Chieftains song than one done by Graveland. Darken's very recognizable synth then picks up and carries the song, and moves at a slow, gloomy pace. One of Graveland's traditional stops makes way for another fast-paced riff (the speed has been picked up on this album, but not in a sloppy was ala first few releases, it combines nicely with the atmosphere) and the speed switches on and off from there. The bass strings seem to be just hanging off the body of the instrument here, since during the slower section they can be heavily heard slapping around. The song ends in a drumming orgy of sorts, with Capricornus' going all his kit in a violent way.
5)Forge of Souls: Not an actual "proper" song, but rather a tasteful synth bit. Darken is obviously a talented keyboard player (he showcases this on his Lord Wind project), but he keeps everything very low-key sounding. The synth moves at a slow and brooding pace, but slowly builds to a quiet sounding finish. A quick yet well-done break to the otherwise insane music.
6)Raise the Swords: An almost familiar bass-heavy riff starts this track out. The other instrument's quickly kick in though to produce a very up-beat and folky build up to the speed. The track runs through at an interesting pace, alternating between a fast section and a more up-beat (yet still very fast paced) folk bit. Wow! This is really quite impressive and catchy at the same time. After a few minutes of this though, a simple riff makes way for a slower section where Darken's vocals are concentrated on more than the music. Everything quickly starts to go backwards mid-way through the song, and were treated to a fairly strange sounding synth bit. Capricornus'' drumming works nicely on this track, and although sloppy, is just so darn strange and chaotic sounding that it deserves to be respected. Another above-amazing track.
7)And the Horn Was Sounding Far Away: A deep sounding, moody, and emotionally successful synth bit sets this track up. It's all very atmospheric, with the sound of waves crashing up against rocks, but then out of the blue, something sounding like a Mortiis (!!) track (those loud, screeching synth-horns) takes your ears by surprise. Ouch. And then, to add even more surprise to the track, a very original sounding reverb/guitar section takes the music over, almost as if the guitar amp is being recorded from underwater. Ah, but don't worry, those ever-loving bell-hits, cranky guitars, and vocals quickly kick in. I found this most excellent, simply the instrumental/synth section at the beginning was very lengthy and nicely set up the mood for the fast paced music. Darken's vocals work well on this track, sounding a tad more drawn out, contrasting nicely with the fast paced drumming and confusing mess of a guitar riff found in the background. A single-note guitar lead (!!) combined with some thick synth takes the music over...amazing, emotional, !!!!!!! (!!!!).
8)Fed By the Beasts: Although the first few minutes of this are very Graveland-ish, the laid back synth bit at the end of this is not. It sounds excellent, and fit's in perfectly with the music, but it's somewhat experimental in it's simplicity and general beauty. This is a (for the most part) slow, doomy, and fairly emotional track with some very light and eerie sounding keyboards in the background. There's some typical Graveland on this track though, and some speed for a better part of it, but it still manages to retain a doomy, smooth feel to it. Very nice.
9)Outro: Just a continuation of the first part of the intro. Epic sounding....similar to a gloomier version of something off a Conan movie, or a mid-paced war march.
THE LYRICS: Well....this is Graveland...these are a bunch of Polsk bastards...and if your looking for some well-written and smooth sounding poetry, then forget it. Lyrics are similar to previous material, and follow a paganistic, fantasy, and just plain confusing basis for some hidden racial messages. Minus the raw English though (well, near butchering actually) the words here are fairly original, especially the lovely tale given to us in "Fed By the Beasts". This recounts the tale of two young children captured by two separate forms of beasts, who end up haunting [??] a forest...the story then goes off into one of Darken's little "soul wandering" fantasies. I find it strange that in letter's, both Capricornus and Darken have fairly decent English, but here...agh, never mind. "White Hand's Power" is written by JFN of the German band Absurd, also on No Colour's, and also a very good band (what is Absurd up to...besides jail and so on???).
THE PACKAGING: Similar to 1000 Swords, since it's done in black and white (with gold print) and because of that, is very tasteful. Lyrics are contained, as well as various photo's of wolves having a fine time in the snow. Two pics of Darken are also included, mentioned only because in one of them it looks like he's wearing a fur hat. Well, he's not (it's a helmet), but it is somewhat comedic to draw parallel's to this with communism...well, the few of you who do get the point then bravo.
PLAYING TIME: 68:07!!!!!!!!!! All of the songs are in the 8-12 minute range.
OVERALL: "Although today many people sell their bands and money is the only god for them, although they left Black Metal to be commercial trend..But there are still some people who will never give up..WE dedicate this album to those people...Darkness covers the underground"-Darken. This sums it up nicely, this album continues it the "no-trends" fashion reserved for people who actually love *black-metal*.
Hate-filled, cranky, beautiful, emotional...although I never thought I'd say it, this is the finest Graveland album to date. It may be a tad more difficult to listen to then "1000 Swords", but it's just so bloody epic in sections and wonderfully played (not technically, musically) in other's that it get's my vote. Graveland have, throughout the years never turned their back on the underground, something I *really* respect them for. They've always answered letters, produced REAL black metal, and never over produced or whored themselves enough to appeal to the weaklings, cap-heads, and other form's of human stupidity that have been plaguing the scene for years now. The music here will still appeal *only* to lovers of this form of black metal. The trendies and other cunts out there will always call it "boring", "stupid", and ask how some of us can even listen to it (while Satyricon or Dimmu Borgir play in the background), but very few of us who have supported the band will ever turn our back on it. It simply strikes a chord with a small percentile of the black metal population, and the few that are actually hit by it's power are left in utter and total awe of the amazing music created by the band. 88!
© 1997 brand