REVIEWS ROUNDUP: Stormkeep, Wraith, Morgul Blade, The Night Eternal, and Tower


StormkeepTales of Othertime

Featuring members of Wayfarer and Blood Incantation, Stormkeep plays Melodic Black Metal with a particularly epic flair. Their first full-length album, Tales of Othertime (Van Records), reflects great deal of influence from such groups as Dissection, Emperor, and Old Man’s Child. The production is claustrophobically atmospheric without getting too raw, the guitar sweeps are flamboyantly choppy, the vocals put in the expected rasps with the occasional cleans shining through, and the keyboards reinforce the theatrical aura without completely dominating the proceedings.

 

The songwriting also plays a fun game of contrasts with the six tracks consisting of four lengthy runs supplemented by a couple Dungeon Synth instrumentals. ‘The Citadel’ is a particularly striking example of the latter at work, putting in the sort of medieval swells and lonely trickles that would do Summoning proud, while ‘A Journey Through Storms’ makes for the most triumphant showing of the more orthodox Black Metal excursions. The album is very of its influences but with Stormkeep executing these tropes with such sincere fervor, the enthusiasm is contagious.

 

8 / 10

 

WraithUndo The Chains

Indiana’s Wraith has always been an enjoyable addition to the post-Midnight/Toxic Holocaust school of Blackened Thrash bands riding a gritty formula that is often simple but hard to truly screw up. Their third album, Undo The Chains (Redefining Darkness Records), shakes up the formula with some extra dynamics. Though still featuring a familiar mix of grimy riffs and filthy vocals, the band plays around with tempos more than before.

This is most apparent with the slow grind of the midway highlight ‘Time Wins’ though other tracks like ‘Gatemaster’ and ‘Cloaked In Black’ put in more mid-tempo chugs. Of course, there’s still plenty of fast hearty Thrash to go around and they even snuck a bit of Punk into ‘Born To Die’ and ‘Disgusting.’ Wraith albums always make fun listening for fans of the genre, but Undo The Chains is easily their best rounded effort.

 

8 / 10

 

Morgul BladeFell Sorcery Abounds

Morgul Blade’s first full-length is driven by a sound best described as Blackened Heavy Metal. The guitar leads and riffing patterns are driven by a dark Mercyful Fate-esque overcast with some tinges of Power Metal-inspired triumph while the vocals are in a near constant tug-o-war between baritone bellows and legible screeches. The production maintains a distant yet coherently grandiose haze all the while and there’s even a couple dedicated spots for some Synth layers to shine.

With these varying elements in a state of integrating and pulling apart, this would raise concerns that Fell Sorcery Abounds (No Remorse Records) is an incohesive listen. While ‘The Morgul Blade’ and ‘A Last Waltz of Gevaudan’ open on the album’s grimmest notes, things soon settle into an ominously anthemic air that comes through the most strongly on ‘In The Grip Of The Dark Lord,’ the Grim Reaper-esque ‘Sons Of The Night,’ and ‘The Five Will Ride at Dawn.’ I must admit the album might’ve benefitted from a consistently more upbeat pace, but this is a fun listen that lays down a neat template to develop even further.

 

8 / 10

The Night Eternal – Moonlit Cross

 

Coming off their 2019 self-titled EP, The Night Eternal’s first full-length does a lot to conjure the memory of In Solitude. Their Gothic tendencies are somewhat understated in comparison, but the combination of yelping baritone vocals and dark Mercyful Fate-inspired guitar acrobatics results in a similar blend of Doomy Traditional Metal. The first half is solid enough with ‘Son Of Sin’ putting in a particularly nifty Maiden-esque series of gallops.

 

The second half is where Moonlit Cross (Van Records) really picks up; ‘Shadow’s Servants’ is an enjoyable mid-tempo rocker and the rhythms on ‘Prison Of Flesh’ boast some forward momentum along with some extra conviction in the vocals that carries over nicely into ‘Closeness In Suspension’ and the closing title track. A rearranged track order might’ve made for an even more cohesive listen, but this is ultimately a fun niche effort.

 

8 / 10

 

TowerShock To The System

It’s been five years since TOWER released their self-titled debut, but their second album picks up where its predecessor left off. Shock To The System (Cruz Del Sur Music) continues to straddle the line between Hard Rock and Classic Metal with gritty rhythms, flailing twin guitars, and unhinged vocals ala Savage Master and Solicitor.

 

There’s been some solid developments in the songwriting as tracks like ‘Prince of Darkness,’ ‘Lay Down The Law’ and ‘In Dreams’ benefit from more fleshed out structures while ‘On The Line’ and the closing ‘Powder Key’ make for some hard-hitting rough and tumble Speed Metal. It’s a simple but effective execution that should sit well with old school Heavy Metal fans.

 

8 / 10

 

CHRIS LATTA


Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) Shares New Single, Debut Album Coming Soon


Acclaimed vocalist Linda-Fay Hella, best known from her work with Wardruna, has announced her debut album. Seafarer is coming soon via Ván Records. She has also released the title track and music videos. The album also features contributions from Kristian Gaahl Espedal. Pre-orders are also live. Hella will perform at The Black Heart in London on September 26.Continue reading


Árstíðir Lífsins – Saga Á Tveim Tungum I: Vápn Ok Viðr


What is Viking Metal and what does it consist of? Is it having twenty-eight inches of hair, dressing up in armor and/or a kilt while wielding a sword? Is it dressing in all black while wearing Thor’s hammer pendants around the neck? Or perhaps it consists of including symbolic imagery such as runes and ships in the package art? More importantly, what is the formula to creating good Viking Metal? I ask these burning questions because ever since the Metal world included Norse mythology into its art, a majority of the bands at the forefront playing it are way too gimmicky. There are too many bands gravitating towards Norse mythology and its culture while writing about it because it is the trend rather than having love, appreciation, or genuine interest for it. In my opinion, good Viking Metal is a rarity.

Continue reading


Gold – Optimist


At a time in the world when women are assailed at every turn, their rights threatened by laws, and are denigrated worse than ever by those in the spotlight, it is refreshing to see and hear the plethora of incredible women artists right now demanding to be heard. Either has been an amazing influx of talent to the music scene of late, or underground artists finally coming to the forefront of public consciousness. Although the full arc of Gold and their third album Optimist (Van Records) doesn’t solely rely on vocalist Milena Eva, she certainly dominates the proceedings. Continue reading


Exclusive Premiere: GOLD Releases Teenage Lust Video


Ghost Cult is proud to partner with GOLD to bring you their new music video today, ‘Teenage Lust’. The track comes from their forthcoming third album Optimist, due out on Ván Records on Feb 24. You can watch the video below. Continue reading


Heavy Temple – Chassit EP


 

In a time when stoner bands, are ten a penny and often little more than glorified Black Sabbath or Sleep tributes, Heavy Temple offer a masterclass in how to show love for your heroes but keep the music fresh and interesting.Continue reading


Macabre Omen – Gods of War – At War


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Light the torches and raise the cries as pagan black metal band Macabre Omen return after 10 years with their follow-up to their debut studio album, 2005’s The Ancient Returns (Obscure Abhorrence). Coupled with the ominous cover, the name Macabre Omen brings up visions of cheesy melody lines splattered with lashings of awkwardly placed black metal. This is not a band that should be judged by their cover however, and while they may only be on their second album with just a handful of splits filling the gaps, the band have had a solid twenty years since conception to perfect their craft.

It’s a call to banners as ‘I See, the Sea’ opens the album with rousing calls reminiscent of ancient armies making their way into battle. Gods of War – At War (Ván Records) certainly has a touch of the epic about it, even as the melodic folk-inspired lines give way to more aggressive blasting under scream by vocalist Alexandros. While the opening track remained distinctly melodic, the album takes much darker turns, particularly on the title track where the black metal is dialled up. ‘Man of 300 Voices’ takes a different tone however; an acoustic opening to the track barely seems out of place, particularly as more traditional instruments make an appearance before moving into epic vocal lines that dominate the song.

Pagan black metal can be a hard genre to master, but Macabre Omen have managed to produce a sound that plants itself somewhere between the more Bathory and Graveland. Despite maintaining a consistent sound throughout, Gods of War – At War has successfully walked the line creating an album that has enough variety between tracks, but still maintains an identifiable sound that brings the piece together. While it may not be breaking any ground artistically, it certainly would hold its ground on soundtrack heading into battle.

 

7.0/10

Macabre Omen on Facebook

CAITLIN SMITH


Crom Dubh – Heimweh


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Since their previous album, Omnia Mutantur (self-released), was a collection of their demos and EP, Heimweh (Ván Records) is technically the first full-length album by Black Metal band Crom Dubh. This London-based quartet has been writing Viking-themed music since 2003, and show their experience and skill on this album.

Upon seeing the track list I was immediately intrigued by not one but two two-part songs; namely ‘Cutting Teeth’ and ‘Kings’. In both cases the first part is a short instrumental piece that serves as a gentler introduction to the heavy second part. The guitar lines on ‘Cutting Teeth’ have enough variation to keep things interesting, and the blastbeats are on point. The grunts are also quite varied and sometimes the vocal lines combines with the guitars have a little of that folk-metal vibe. That folky feel comes back at several points later on the album but most clearly in the guitar lines in ‘Sedition’.

In ‘Kings I’ the band shows that they are capable of great subtlety, with not only a gentle but dark melody coming through on one side, but also a corresponding echo on the other. I would have liked the intro to have a bit more of a build up to the main event, but because ‘Kings II’ continues in the same chord it at least sounds like it belongs together. ‘Kings II’ shows a much greater amount of variation than the previous songs, and it really works rather well. The sound is still dark, but the alternating melodies of the guitars open the piece up and make it really enjoyable and captivating to listen to.

All in all, this is a very interesting Black Metal album with some hints of folk. I want to mention that the drumming is absolutely phenomenal and carries the music very well. The rhythms are always effective and interesting, and the fills spice things up nicely. Just listen to ‘The Invulnerable Tide’ and you’ll understand what I mean.

A thoroughly enjoyable listen, and the band can take great pride in having this as their first full album.

 

8.5/10

Crom Dubh on Facebook

 

LORRAINE LYSEN