The Rock Blogger

Fleurety . Min tid skal komme . 1995. 5 stars .

A stunning and underwritten black metal album, Fleurety’s Min tid skal komme was years ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of the genre with its post-rock and avant-garde touches. Among many of the elements making this creative effort standout is its use of Marian Aas Hansen’s soaring vocals, ringing over the band’s atonal harmonics with chilling clarity. When paired against the eerie melodies, psychedelic guitar work and terrifying growls, the result is simply astounding, possessing the same icy air as the work of Swans-era Jarboe.

The unconventional song structures and technical signature changes add a progressive drive to these 5 songs, often resembling the skeletal riffs and atmospheric bass of early post-rock bands Rodan and Slint. These bleak, and often folk-inspired, passages sharply turn into full on black metal assaults, complete with intense blast beats and vicious tremolo picking.

Every song on this album is long and adventurous, expanding across different musical territory without betraying the cold atmosphere that unifies the whole experience. The relationship between emotionality and complexity are extraordinarily fluid and natural, while still sounding unique and uncompromising. With Min tid skal komme, Norway’s Fleurety have crafted a work that is artful, moving and consistently interesting, rivaling Ulver’s tenacity and progressive spirit. These unsung pioneers deserve more accolades, as they have not only produced a work of tremendous genius, but also demonstrate that black metal and post rock styles can flow together quite beautifully, leaving a freshly blazoned trail for future avant-metal artists to follow.

Moonsorrow. Tulimyrsky EP. 2008. 4.5 stars.

Helsinki’s Moonsorrow have produced a monster of an EP with Tulimyrsky, surpassing the full lengths of most black metal bands with its sheer scope and grandiosity. Running well over an hour, Moonsorrow’s latest redefines what an EP should be, as they produce long, winding epics that incorporate Norse mythology, folk music and historical themes with an intensely cinematic presentation. With what may be the longest EP of the year (if not of the entire genre), Moonsorrow have created a fine masterpiece.

The half-hour adventure that is “Tulimyrsky” starts things off with a dramatic voice-over sample that provides a dark narrative (in Finnish) that establishes thematics in a similar fashion to Godspeed You Black Emperor’s infamous “Dead Flag Blues”. After this mysterious intro, the band throttle forward into a blazing rhythm, complete with thundering blast beats, raging guitars and inspired vocal chanting, showcasing the band’s Viking-warrior aesthetics. Over the course of its gargantuan duration, the song weaves and wanders across massive heights, even dabbling in Medieval sounding acoustic passages and total thrash freak outs. The ride is a raucous one, as the variety of sounds and influences explored really do create feelings of conquest and discovery.

Following this journey is a faithful rendition of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” which is given a raw and seething black metal reinterpretation that doesn’t compromise the sacred integrity of the original version. This is probably one of the most impressive and fitting cover songs I’ve come across recently, as it takes you back to black metal’s thrash roots. After this nostalgic romp, Moonsorrow bring us to two re-recorded versions of earlier demos “Taistelu Pohjolasta” and “Hvergelmir” both epics in their own right with searing riffs and atmospheric synth melodies that strike a effective balance between violent chaos and majestic beauty, conjuring sublime natural scenes not unlike the mountains gracing the cover art. Moonsorrow then proceed to wrap things up with another masterful cover, playing a relentless version of Merciless’ “Back to North”, capturing the blistering energy of old school death metal.

For its impeccable musicianship, folk-tinged melodies and convincing, thematic delivery, Tulimyrsky is one of the greatest metal EPs ever made, shaming the full length efforts of countless other bands in its wake. Now that I’ve heard what Moonsorrow can accomplish with one EP, I’m more than anxious to get a hold of their official ‘albums’ and will be in restless anticipation for their next one. I will also urge you to do the same.

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica Cover)

Velvet Cacoon. Genevieve . 2004. Full Moon Productions . 4.5 stars .

“Nothing matters aside from catharsis. The feeling of catharsis is what true people seek out. The problem is that virtually nobody is true anymore. Politics, religion, stock markets… It are these manmade things which people obsess over that is ruining everything. It is why people are loading up on anti-depressants and therapy sessions. Mankind created this demon of a system and most people are too busy on their cellphones to realize that this demon they feed and fund is the same thing that has ruined them. I can neither help nor save them. Misanthropy is the nautical map of my life. It has brought me true catharsis.”- ‘SGL’ Velvet Cacoon

One of the most mysterious and controversial Black Metal bands to come from the Pacific Northwest, Portland’s Velvet Cacoon play intensely atmospheric music partly inspired by radical environmentalism and the abuse of Dextromethorphan. The duo, known as ‘Josh’ (SGL) and ‘Angela’ (LVG), have been the subject of many bizarre rumors and hoaxes, giving their work an extreme, larger than life mystique. Stories of their asexuality, ‘ecofascist’ political beliefs, accusations of plagiarism, and the creation of their own diesel powered guitar (the ‘diesel harp’) have made the band the subject of heated discussion online and within the metal underground.

Despite the dubious nature of Velvet Cacoon, their sole ‘public’ album Genevieve is certainly a uncompromising masterpiece, possessing a claustrophobic and haunted beauty. The distorted guitar tone that dominates the mix sounds as if it was recorded underwater, adding to the oceanic themes evoked by the tracks “P.S. Nautical” and “Avalon Polo”. The cold and alien sound emitted from these blurred riffs is daunting, making the mystery of its creation ever more compelling. Deep, propulsive drum machine rolls provide the current for these black pools, moving at a constant, unchanging rhythm that palpitates like a terrified heartbeat. Strange, distant vocals whisper and hiss in the shadows, providing a menacing and ghostly presence to the ruminations. The entire experience is enveloping, opening black holes to suck in all light and emotion, leaving you to contemplate the harsh throes of the universe. While Genevieve may initially sound disturbing, it is also a hypnotic and existential listen, instigating deep reflection and wonder long after the bleak ambient closer “Bete Noir” has faded to black.

For its dark, natural (and supernatural) overtones, Genevieve is a rare musical experience that presents emotional and intellectual challenges that will be sure to stick with the attuned listener. Anyone interested in the work of Burzum, Wolves in the Throne Room and Sunn O))) will find much to like here, as Velvet Cacoon shares many aesthetic elements with those acts. I also recommend reading the rare interviews with the band, as they discuss the controversies surrounding their work as well as their esoteric views on drug use, sexuality, the environment and the universe. While some of their views may be odd and provocative, they certainly are intelligently put and make for an interesting read.

Interview with Velvet Cacoon: Chronicles of Choas

Interview with Velvet Cacoon: Full Moon Productions

Avalon Polo

Vinterland. Welcome My Last Chapter . 1996. 4.5 stars .

While I have been tempted to focus on more current and popular bands on this blog, there are just too many criminally underrated acts out there to leave unnoticed, and Sweden’s ferocious Vinterland is just one of them. Despite being the band’s sole album, Welcome My Last Chapter is a highly refined and melodic work of black metal, overcoming its relative obscurity to rank as one of the genre’s most effective releases.

Nearly all the hallmarks of Scandinavian black metal can be found here, including winter themes, sorrowful lyrics, forest imagery and brutal blast beats. The crucial difference that breaks Vinterland from the mold is the symphonic production that allows the majestic keyboards and serpentine riffs to ring through with brutal clarity. Rather than tapping into the lo-fi, crusty aesthetics that populate so many black metal albums, Vinterland give their songs more breathing room, providing space between their icy guitar riffs, mournful piano breaks and relentless drum rolls so you can make out the crystalline melodies as they unfold.

The variety of sounds here make the album consistently interesting, as the compositions weave between vicious metal assaults and expansive crescendos, allowing each musical element to sound distinct and epic. Rather than washing their songs down with terrifying white noise, Vinterland plot their course carefully, giving prevalence to coherent song structures. Welcome My Last Chapter , while still dark and frozen, manages to break from raw black metal traditionalism to shape a beautiful and engaging experience.

Here is “Im an Other in the Night”

Agalloch recorded this beautiful cover of Sol Invictus‘ “Kneel to the Cross” on their Of Stone, Wind and Pillor EP (2001). Does anybody know which album the original appears on?

Paysage D’Hiver . Schattengang . 1999. 5 stars .

While I have already written at length about black metal bands here, including a Top 10 list for the genre, I felt compelled to return to Paysage D’Hiver, the one man project of Switzerland’s reclusive Tobias “Wintherr” Möckl. A prolific but incredibly obscure artist, PDH has released numerous albums over the past decade, usually labeled as demos and released sparingly as limited edition vinyls and CDs. The rarity of these works only adds to the mysterious and isolated nature of their sound, so thick and dense with atmosphere that the mainstream would choke if they listened to it. While metal circles on the Internet may be familiar with PDH’s acclaimed self titled record (which was featured on my list), I personally feel that Schattengang is the darkest gem of the collection, with its powerful and sinister riffs complementing the rustic and weathered aesthetics.

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A strange and innovative video for “It is Not Sound” from The Blood Inside (2005). Featuring bizarre human animation, the video follows the plight of the band members through a twisting sea of limbs. Crazy stuff.

Some late night music to trip out to. Drudkh is an intense black metal band from the Ukraine. These songs are from their Autumn Aurora album.

I would like to apologize for the lack of substantial activity here over the last few days. A wicked St. Patrick’s day combined with a 5:30 am start the next morning makes for a groggy blogger. Don’t worry, there are several new releases ready to be reviewed for your reading pleasure, so stay tuned. In the meantime, watch Wolves in the Throne Room rock out. This song is from “Diadem of 12 Stars”.

Agalloch. Of Stone, Wind and Pillor. 2001. 3.5 stars.

Seeing that my review of Agalloch’s sublime White EP is the most read post on my blog so far, I thought it would be worthwhile to visit some of the band’s previous, and hard to find, EPs. Starting things off with Of Stone Wind and Pillor, which is mostly a scatter shot collection of tracks left off their debut album Pale Folklore, we find Agalloch’s more experimental and neo-folk tendencies begin to shine through.

As the great cover art demonstrates, this EP is a testament to untouched landscapes, expressing hard felt desires to abandon the calls of civilization and escape to the dark confines of the forest. While the opening title track is familiar fare from Agalloch, sounding like an unpolished outtake from their more fuller sounding LPs, the two following instrumental tracks “Foliorum Viridium” and “Haunitng Birds” are atmospheric gems, full of ringing acoustic guitars, graceful piano and the cinematic use of choir samples, adding an another layer of complexity to Agalloch’s epic sound.

The EP’s highlight however is the stirring cover of Sol Invictus’ “Kneel to the Cross” which begins with the spine chilling chant of “Summer is a’ coming, arise, arise”, before the band fully immerses themselves in a folksy tale of violent Christian conquest over ancient lands. This song brilliantly captures the essence of Agalloch: organic sounding, ambitious and full of cultural allusions and Gothic imagery. In short, despite its overall unevenness, the standouts on Of Stone are among Agalloch’s most impassioned efforts.