Old Man's Child "Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion" (1998)

 

If Galder is known for treading in the shadows of his comrades at Dimmu Borgir, then on this instance it occurs to me the influences may of exchanged direction. Still getting to grips with the modern Symphonic Black Metal aesthetic of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, this third Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion delves into fantastical, majestic synths spun in an "evil" tone. Its the spurious ruptures of swift, darkly piano melodies that has a distinct kinship to Spirtual Black Dimensions, my all time favorite album.

Predating it by a year, there are certainly ideas at play here that may have given inspiration. Either way, Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion is a cohesive step on from The Pagan Prosperity. Galder fine tunes his approach to melody and groove for a thrashier beast, hell bent on a darker, sinister tones as his previous themes of Medieval might and magic give way to evil, darkness and Satan himself. Its deathly cheesy and all to be taken with a pinch of salt. His cries of "I worship the devil and I am the antichrist" on Demoniacal Possession are all to overt and silly for any actual musical weight.

Fortunately he is a talented composer and this refined approach to song writing pulls together his ideas well. With a meatier rhythm guitar dropping back to focus on power chord foundations, the lively lead guitar and bold Casio/Korg style keyboards get a balanced roll in shaping the albums melodic sound. Despite being dark in nature, his brazen melody style gives the whole experience a constant stream of color, as one tune bounces to the next with the occasional eruption of big moshable riffs.

For all its merits, the peaks and valleys are closer together. A fun experience, easy to engage with but lacking in exceptional tracks. Wedged in the middle, Fall Of Man and Captives Of Humanity have always been the highlight. The first is a competent stride by the synths into a dark dungeon atmosphere. The second brings a roar of sea bearing, swash buckling melody, brought on by a great opening instrumental symphonic section, Strongly reminiscent of Stormlord, who I am yet to write on.

 Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion is decent but had the potential to be greater. Galder really progresses the cohesion on the production front as gives a unified sound a go however at thirty five minutes, short fo the times, it seems he may have been lacking in depth as its last two songs tend to whimper out on recycled ideas.

Rating: 6/10

Old Man's Child "The Pagan Prosperity" (1997)

 

The Pagan Prosperity signifies a departure from Born Of The Flickering that came before it. Although holding over darkly Medieval themes laced with magic and combat, the musical style shifts, as do its aesthetics. Clearly to of come under the influence of his friends at Dimmu Borgir, Galder aims to follow the emboldened direction of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant released earlier that same year. Lacking in ample production budget, armed with songs not quite akin to that intensity, his sophomore album is a haphazard progression that does yield some magic after its misgivings.

Over bloated with melody embellished by tacky synth tones, thees songs ride a rather thin production where its instruments stand bare and subsequently stark if too focus to closely on its harsh snare for example. This mostly comes around where keyboard sections are lacking. When dropping out, Galders grindy guitar riffs chug away ruthlessly with a dulled texture. Its all a bit hit and miss. Sometimes the synths come in to strong, other times they are absent. It seems to lack a little nuance and "glue".

At the midpoint, after a series of mediocre tracks, My Demonic Figures trades off another grinding riff against some beautiful, uplifting melody. Then suddenly past two minutes the song shifts gears into a riveting drive of groove flush with majestic synths. The song rides out its keen lead tune into a string of songs. Doommaker & My Kingdom Will Come rectify the mood. Flush with guitar solos, which are always fantastic throughout, and these big groovy synth "breakdowns", Galder hits a stride.

Despite the albums clunky nature, his song writing pulls together extremely well for these songs, making for some head bopping riffs. They are made fun and carefree by the garish but lively synths that infuse a cheesy taste of evil. His screams too embody this lack of seriousness. They howl away, often double tracked with reverbs and echos layering on his snaky, rasping throaty shouts. The Pagan Prosperity is not his best, somewhat of a learning curb. You can put it on, have fun but under scrutiny it has visible flaws.

Rating: 6/10

Fen "The Dead Light" (2019)

I've been somewhat torn over Fen on their last few albums. This newest sixth installment further illuminates the opposing forces at play and which one I prefer. The music walks the line many Blackgaze bands do, a bleak serenity and beautiful chill of nature swoons, masqueraded by swells of unearthed darkness and shadowy aggressors. The two toy with varying degrees of enchantment but ultimately the plunges into the latter are lacking in charm. The bursts of aggression, shrill vocals and pushes of pummeling loose blast beats pale in comparison to the beauty the band conjure with sorrowful melodies. It is consistently the alluring lighter moments, stretching to gorgeous oozes of shimmering acoustic guitars, that entrance with cold soil, a rooted earthly grace of mother nature. In these moments the music is king.

In a typically progressive style the songs structures have them swaying between the two and as you can imagine their is a lot of the less favorable Black Metal but it somehow gets by as those dazzling bursts of moonlight grace a darkly landscape the group forge with their music. Occasionally visited by charming chorals of heathen clean vocals, I'm to often reminded of how much a drag the shrill shouts and screams become. When not paying too much attention the general atmosphere carries it by but its upheavals of melody are really its best component and so grabbing. It leaves me with mixed feelings as the album is fine in the background but when giving it full attention its metallic half fails to match the charm of its counterpart. It does however pull of the chemistry between ends ever so well on its closing track, a fine closer.

Favorite Tracks: Witness, Nebula, Rendered In Oynx

Rating: 6/10

Mare Cognitum "Phobos Monolith" (2014)

It was once the experience of a music lover to flick through crates of vinyl sleeves in a dusty record store, looking for something to land your attention and empty your wallet. In the digital age it is Bandcamp alone that has managed to recreate that market place feeling and so easily am I sucked in to browsing binges. If this illustrious artwork and the promise of "Cosmic Black Metal" isn't enough to lure me in then abandon awaits thee. Fortunately this music matches the class of this modern Black Metal act, a one man band from Portland Oregon. Its got all the shades of Progressive, Post and Shoegaze, not wondering far from the American blueprint, culminating in a sweet experience of darkly voyages into the symphonic abyss.

Two of its four tracks reside more so in the traditional lane. Entropic Hallucinations opens up with a devilish, infesting blast beat and snaky grinding guitar riff played with an allure aided from a sweep effect cruising past its hurtling rhythm like icy winds. Ephemeral Eternities, being the other, also has cunning execution of blast beats with rapid tom drum fire. Going through progressive structures that "follows ones nose" so to speak, they embark on arrangements of tremolo riffs, maniacal drumming and screams both guttural and shrill that check all the boxes of familiarity with inklings of particular bands as influences on this flavorful journey of scale.

The records production to be merited. Phobos Monolith for all its extremities is masterfully mixed to make cushioned and warm tones of all its instruments. They reside within reverberated spaces to amplify its cosmic, astral leaning in theme. The song writing is also champion, it can lock in your attention for fifty minutes as these songs twist, wind, soar and scale. Album opener Weaving The Thread Of Transcendence take a prize for the most progressive track, starting from mysterious embers it stokes a flame that turns into a roaring fire of color as the song blossoms with bright guitar leads and plundering unions with a hurtling momentum stoked by the drumming.

Noumenon rocks the shoegazing strand strongly on a warm and colorful track that almost sways into Alcest territory if it wasn't for snarling, viscous screams anchoring it to darkness. As mentioned before this record has many flavors and they come together sweetly. A very solid record, perhaps just shy of greatness, missing something exceptional. Its foundation is bedrock but never quite exceeds itself. Very impressive, I will be back to check out more of this band soon!

Rating: 7/10

Fen "Stone And Sea" (2019)

Years have passed since Dustwalker and Carrion Skies, two records I was keen to check out but felt far from the magic of their debut The Malediction Fields. Apparently I have been oblivious to their fifth full length entitled Winter, released a couple years back. This short, three track EP was just the right dose of music for my tasting. To no surprise Fen's sound is rooted in the period where Black Metal first diverged from its second wave and with earthly tones and naturalistic inspiration the trio conjure three tracks that play with a familiar theme of light and darkness, swaying between the two.

The mostly darkened avenues the music walks is rough and raspy, throaty howls yell over loose blast beats and gritty distortions that feel earthly and muddy in the mix. The production is raw with its crunchy guitars and muddy noise, the clashing cymbals cut sharply through but with a creek of chemistry to tie it all together. Its got a sloppy sound but that is the charm to some extent. Its earthly, human and perhaps mystical.

It has its heavy moments that conjure the atmosphere of natural wonder in the darkness of a moon lit night setting over forests and moors but the light upheavals mostly emanate from the peaking melodies that transcend the gritty foundations. The music builds to an eruption of triumphant lead guitar queued by clean and humbly imperfect vocal lines that break up the screams and howls, bringing in that uplift of light from an overwhelmingly darker and dusty sound across its span.

Its rises of the light are brief and infrequent but the overall structure makes for a charming midsection of acoustic guitars that usher in cultural roots. It should be pointed out that the EP is essentially one big twenty minute song. The opening 8 minutes blister through shrill and windswept bustling furies of energy and its mid section acts as an calm between storms. The third act infuses chunkier elements of groove and a bigger emphasis on the lead guitar that brings the song to its climax, one that is drawn out to the end. Its quite the epic piece of music and one I have fondly enjoyed! This more focused Fen is more to my liking.

Rating: 6/10

Saor "Forgotten Paths" (2019)

My introduction to Saor was a breath of fresh air beginning with their sophomore record Aura. Out from the now decades old genre of Black Metal that so routinely falls into its own established tropes, Saor introduced a soaring gleam of bright, triumphant, heathen melody to counteract its dark underbelly of blast beats, tremolo guitars and burly, gaunt screams. It may not have been an original twist on the sound but its execution was sublime and deeply inspired by Marshall's Scottish heritage and countryside. The following Guardians record was more of the same and had less of an impact on me. It may be the absence, or more likely the music but this new release has been a very fond listen for me these past two weeks.

The luscious and melodic side of the music feels expanded upon, a beautiful piano interlude middle of the opening title track and a entire song, Exile, dedicated to nostalgic folk sounds half a step away from Fief in the best of ways. This obvious expansion resonates in the lead guitars that gleam and glow, leading every song forward like a light carving the path through the pale on its epic journeys. Soaring with reverb and inflecting glorious melodies it rises high above the fury of beastly screams and pummeling drums, making its most abrasive sections feel bright and inspiring.

Through the loud and obvious instruments, pagan violins and glossy pianos shape tone and mood with a dose of folk and heritage that never leaves the music. Its a constant delight that makes the sound engulfing. Even in their quiet parts the lead guitar once again soaks you in the dazzle of its glimmering light. With three lengthy ten minute plus songs the music can hold this sense of constant beauty and epic without faultering. Bron is the darkest of the three and even it can find this stunning flicker of light in the black as its cultural elements blossom along the songs epic progression. Things really came together on this album and I can't recommend it enough.

Rating: 8/10

Enslaved "E" (2017)

Eight lengthy tracks clocking in at an hour make up this indulgent journey through abysmal rain and thunderous storms in a climate safe from harm. We swing from the calms of gentle, luscious melodies sung from soft synths and glossy pianos as they peak through gristly rock, sturdy distortion guitars in stretches that swell into grim plummets and measured fiery onslaughts of darkness. With gleam and triumph shrouded in ancient mystery the tone is set, a path of heathen spirituality in the roots of mother nature emanates in calmer passageways. Viking choral chants occasionally greet us as we wander through mystic terrain on an epic, inspired journey.

 At this point in their career Enslaved have little to prove, fourteen albums in with a solid track record the band are freed to home in on their craft and forge songs that achieve their inspiration with little to fault. The maturity and expanded pallet lets the core sound flourish with touches of influence that spread as far as Jazz with a saxophone solo on "Hindsight" fitting so snugly into the song it barely makes itself known as an uncommon instrument but rather a perfect touch to illuminate the music. Many Post-Metal guitar sounds emerge with flourishes of shimmering Shoe-gazing leads and even Sludge in scattered guitar grooves that move in menacing lugs of burly force, often accompanied by the harsh scream of Kjellson who doesn't charm with these strained and sterile screams.

These songs are progressive, expansive, they twist and turn, evolving as time passes, making for a wonderful listening experience that's cinematic. Enriched by the layering of soft synths and occasional organs below the guitars, the flavor and aesthetic is sweetened but this chemistry is lost when the album is swept into the stormy dark. Still holding onto their roots, the music often strips itself to the raw components, "Djupet" being a song comprised entirely between the guitars and drums. It makes a little more sense when these Black Metal moments emerge in the sways of wandering songs but shows itself to hold back an otherwise far more intelligent, spell bounding chemistry that is at its best in its denser, melodic compositions.

Rating: 7/10

Saor "Guardians" (2016)

Ive been awaiting this record for some time, Saor, a one man band, really impressed me with his last release "Aura", a fine record that took traditional Black Metal values to a serine, warm and heart felt setting inspired by the Scottish highlands. It was a mature, seasoned piece of music that took all the mockeries away from the extreme music and imbued it with the sombre beauty of the natural world. It ended up being one of my favorite records of the year. So Saor returns, still a one man band and unchanged in approach "Guardians" stagnates somewhat, repeating the same successes of its predecessor.

Its a noticeable step up in fidelity, richer clarity in the guitar distortion and organized space gives room for the stunning string sections and earthly bagpipes to gleam through the walls of blast beats and guitar shredding. The songs take on grandiose themes and progressions with each clocking in over ten minutes and going through many passageways, soaring high, tumbling lows and climatic peaks in their wake. A little more groove and rhythm feels present in the guitar styling than before but mostly its power chord whirling as the flutes and fiddles inflict human melodies and cultural folk roots into the heathen music.

There are times where deep guttural shouts accompany guitar focused sections and it can drift into a sleepwalk between its grandiose moments. Although aesthetically polished and stronger the music competes with its own style as some parts feel like a repeating formula. "Tears Of A Nation" tips the scales with a break at the six minute mark for a truly memorable moment as the album concludes with a timeless melody, heightened by the continual shifts in intensity that comes from the Metal instruments. Its a solid record but more of the same, which is not a bad thing given the brilliance of this project, however it doesn't surpass the benchmark of "Aura" for me.

Rating: 6/10

Kauan "Lumikuuro" (2007)

Following up on the spectacular "Sorni Nai", an album which really blew me away, I find myself at the Estonian bands roots, their debut dropped eight years earlier. It caught my attention for possibly the wrong reasons, a song "Savu" containing a slower tempo moment of Dimmu Borgir's classic "Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh", a near carbon copy pulled of in a different context. Not accusing the band of anything, it simply caught my attention and sucked me into what is a light, easy and enjoyable record with a unique chemistry between the dark and light elements of its design.

The experience is defined by a distance between its lush melodious bells, graciously dancing over soothing strings and the dark, narrow, dense distortion guitars that chop and churn under snarly, grim screams. Some acoustic guitars and softer electric leads bridge the gaps with harmonious folk singing but its the disparity that creates an unusual chemistry where the bells and strings guide us through ethereal like, atmospheric moods as the linear distortion guitars chisel and drone away in the distance. Its moody and the slow tempo influences of Doom Metal can be felt throughout. The writing can be both graceful, sudden and blunt as instruments interchange focus around one another and it is often where the guitar takes lead that the magic can be dispelled.

For eight years and five records, "Lumikuuro" isn't to far behind "Sorni Nai" in terms of identity and aesthetic. Some of the bands defining characteristics are here and even a few comparable moments. Its overall direction feels a little murky when chunky, groove oriented riffing crops into an otherwise atmospheric experience where the guitars are a distant fuzz. The record can also swiftly shift from one moment to the next and it isn't always pulled of with the agility they would later find. I'm fond of this record, its flawed and rather unusual in its own identifiable way.

Favorite Song: Savu,

Rating: 6/10

Arcturus "Arcturian" (2015)

After a ten year silence since "Sideshow Symphonies", the chaotic carnival sideshow Arcturus emerge for the abyss to unleash another full length record upon a niche group of adoring fans. Arcturus has been a group I've held in the highest regard for their unique flavor and artistic evolution across the four records that proceeded this one. Forming under the moniker "Mortem" in 1987, it took the group almost a decade to find their sound and release their debut "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" in 96. It was a raw Black Metal power ride of haunting atmospheres and playful melodics that fused the symphonies with the raw power chord distortion, howling screams and thunderous drumming. Having established a unique identity, the group took a huge stride into unknown territory with the follow up "La Masquerade Infernale". Using electronics, sampling and taking a more theatric approach to their music they created a modern masterpiece unrivaled by anything alike. The two follow up records further experimented and refined their sound and set a high level of expectation before there split in 2006.

With the stakes so high I was both dreading and anticipating this record which took me a fair few listens to warm around to. What hit me on the first play through was how familiar and "right" the music felt, as if the the band had been frozen on ice, put on hold, and returned ready to fire as if not a moment had passed in their absence. It only took a minute for the opener to throw me into a classic Arcturus atmosphere, rattling drums blitzed in the background as discordant guitars ring out with descending synths, throwing us into a symphonic hook led by ICS Vortex's adventurous, and still so charming vocals. Everything about this record as it played through made sense, the opening half having a lot of familiarity with different approaches and styles executed on previous records, the quality good enough to call its own. There were one or two moments that felt a little like carbon copy, the track "Archer" feeling like an outtake from sideshow symphonies, and "Angst" from "Aspera Hiems Symfonia". Ultimately its the shock of getting exactly what you wanted that feels a little surreal and the ten years apart feels almost non existent. "Arcturian" has sheltered itself from the world and let the band continue exploring them selfs, the only noticeable influence being the drum-step beat sampled on "Demon".

With the music doing so much right it manages to mask a big problem this record has. The production. Lets be blunt, its pretty appalling. From the get go its apparent there are issues, instruments fight for volume, bleed into one another and a lot of clarity is lost as the instruments collide in a messy mix that is inconsistent on multiple levels. The drums firstly, they sound different from track to track and often drown themselves in a rattle of noise. The guitars sometimes feel like an incoherent fuzz under over powering symphonies. For all my complaints, I am left with puzzling thoughts. The production doesn't ruin the music, but does it hold it back? Maybe it even adds to it? This isn't a case of low-fi production where the aesthetic is an edge, but the inconsistencies on a track by track basis perhaps suggest intentional manipulation of instrumental clarity, which in a few moments does work. Arcturian was an initially puzzling record, but from the get go its undeniably decent, a fine work which any fan would adore. It will be interesting to gauge the communities reation, and although I hope to hear a remastered release one day, I am undeniably satisfied by "Arcturian".

Rating: 8/10

Fen "Carrion Skies" (2014)

Fen are back! With another record, for which as long as they exist, I will be interested in hearing. As I touched on in my blog of their previous album "Dustwalker", Fen are a group from England who's sound captivated me on their first album, but have since failed to spark a magic I believe they have within them. I walked away from Dustwalker with mixed feelings, their gorgeous sound of dark melodics, naturist beauty glazed in ethereal shoegazing is the perfect setting for wondrous, captivating music, but never a melody sticks in my mind or does their music leave me with something eternally lasting. Its always a rich, absorbing listen, but is momentary within the music. It's selfish, but I want something more from this band.

Every listen of "Carrion Skies" was a positive one, relaxing and naturist, it was exactly what I expected from them, but as I've already touched on, it feels like it could be something more. The band cruise through progressive epics that mostly last ten or more minutes, winding their way from riff to riff, through passages of melodics and inspiring ethereal indulgence, that often accelerates into traveling energy of blast beats, tremolo picking and rough, beastly screams, utilizing many traditional Black Metal and Post-Rock approaches in their own way. Its not until the track "Sentinels" that my ears perk up to a hazy melodic riff coarsing under dreamy vocals crying out "The sky is a sphere". Its a moment that stuck with me, but a lone one through sixty minutes of music id say is "doing everything right", but somehow doesn't.

There are many varying degrees of enjoyment with music, and to be analytical about it prompts many questions about the listener, the music, and what it all means. With an intrinsic imagination for music I can hear beyond the aesthetics, I hear the notes, the rhythms, in any form, but the artists expression is always the mystery to divulge. With Fen I feel their genius is one I hear, but perhaps I don't quite connect with it. Always enjoyable to listen to, but always leaves me feeling like something is missing. Whatever it is, I am clueless.

Favorite Song: Sentinels

Rating: 5/10