Sweeping black metal band Graveland re-issued the 2004 album Dawn of Iron Blades on March 18, 2018, with an English version of the album on Hammer of Damnation Records. A Polish version will soon follow on Warheart Records.
The album features more traditional rock/metal drumming with a greater emphasis on playing guitars so that individual notes are heard more than droned through tremolo, and any keyboards and parts of the guitar lines have been replaced with additional strings and the ethereal female vocals used on recent Lord Wind efforts.
The result is probably more comprehensible for metal listeners and less of the metal, soundtrack, and folk fusion that Darken was creating in those days. Rob Darken stated of the album: “There were some new people on board while creating this new face of “Dawn of Iron Blades”: Olya (female choir vocals) and Miro (drums, and new drum lines). New bass and keyboard parts were prepared by me back in 2016, mix of both Polish and English version was done in 2017.”
In addition, the band has released a t-shirt for the album Carpathian Wolves with a new design for 2018, complementing a Veles Night on the Bare Mountain and Thunderbolt Black Clouds Over Dark Majesty t-shirts, all three of which are being sold by Ancient Dead Productions. The clothing label ships worldwide; for orders, email whitegallow@gmail.com.
For those who prefer the older versions of these albums, the band has them for sale:
If you will buy 3 cd’s shipping is free!
Price of one cd: 10€Warheart Records:
GRAVELAND – The Celtic Winter – Remastered, Splipcase CD 2017
GRAVELAND – In the Glare of Burning Churches – Remastered, Splipcase CD 2017
GRAVELAND – Pamieć i Przeznaczenie – Re-mixed, CD 2016
GRAVELAND – Ogień Przebudzenia – Re-mixed, CD 2016
GRAVELAND – Prawo Stali – Re-mixed, CD’2014No Colours Records:
GRAVELAND – Carpathian Wolves – CD
GRAVELAND – Fire Chariot of Destruction – CD
GRAVELAND – Thunderbolts of the Gods – CD
GRAVELAND – Creed of Iron – CD
GRAVELAND – Creed of Iron / Prawo Stali – Double CD
GRAVELAND – Cold Winter Blades – Mini-cd
GRAVELAND – Will Stronger Than Death – CD
GRAVELAND – The Fire of Awakening – Remixed, CD’2017
GRAVELAND – The Fire of Awakening – Old ver. CD
GRAVELAND – Thousand Swords – CD
GRAVELAND – Spear of Heaven – CD
GRAVELAND – Memory and Destiny – Re-mixed, CD 2016Miscellaneous
GRAVELAND – Epilogue – Mini-CD’ 2015 Witching Hour Rec
GRAVELAND – Carpathian Wolves Rehearsal 1993 – Hellfire Rec 2016 CD
Tribute to Graveland II – Chants of Pagan War – Double CD’2014Lord Wind
LORD WIND – Forgotten Songs – CD1 , No Colours Rec
LORD WIND – Heralds of Fight – CD2 Wolftyr Prod./No Colours Rec 2014
LORD WIND – Rites of the Valkyries CD3 ’2006
LORD WIND – Atlantean Monument CD4 ’2006 New Reedition 2010
To purchase any of those, email darken@graveland.org.
Tags: graveland, hammer of damnation records, lord wind, no colors records, rob darken, warheart records
Well, cash grab or not, I do like the re-recorded albums quite a bit. Especially with the Polish lyrics as Slavic languages sound really menacing in black metal. ‘Ogien Czebuzenia’ was quite good.
I used to be able to figure out Slavic metal bands.
Stopped caring a long time ago after one album I figured out, was full of Anthrax-PC type bullshit.
Kind of a joke now, as when Anthrax played a club in Toronto in 1987, they went to a nearby Chinese restaurant and kept making asian jokes.
The S.O.D.-racist connection was spot on, so even though my father hated my music back back then, he allowed it as it had a feeling it was anti-nigger / anti – shit.