Gravespawn
The Elder Darkness
Satanath Records
This 8 songs album (plus Slayer cover) is a raw black metal with keyboards.
You have fast pace of music and drums with heavier moments and slower drums in medieval track (tone of keyboards) entitled The Primordial Dynasty.
Some high pitched guitars, mid tempo atmospherics with bell toll effects as it is in song Hexenturm.
A rhythm guitar driven song is Sons of Mars that also goes with raw sounding shreds, mixed with chaotic fragments and keyboards that build to certain atmosphere of music (dark sensations).
You have some minor, melodic leads and backing vocals (lead vocals in majority are black metal shrieks all over the album) with fast & chaotic guitar moments as in song called Curse of the Ruins. Those speed metal guitars in fourth minute of the track (wish there was more of it in music of Gravespawn), plus eerie musical periods given by both sound of guitars and keyboards are better in its slower pace.
Heavy, abyssal and fast black metal track is Cocytus Winds Ascend. On top of metal music, there is some dense atmosphere composed by keyboardist, which sounds like angelic choir - only it`s not human choir...It`s one of the darkest black metal song of the album.
Another very harsh black metal track is The Dreadful Eye that they play with some minor orchestrations like Dimmu Borgir in earlier times. I think, those layered vocals give some depth and more darkness shades for music as well.
Kingdom of Cruelty as most of songs from the band, has some very raw guitar shreds and a bit more melodic harmonies-like in last minutes of the track. When wicked vocal laughs and not long enough guitar solos have kicked in, I have liked the song just better ...
Barbarian Misanthropy has very oriental music beginning that turns this song into folky black metal for a while, but later, the band delivers even grimmer and furious black metal riffs, until Slayer classic begins...
...Never heard Die By The Sword of Slayer played like that - thrash metal classic with orchestrations and guitar solos ala Bathory done by Gravespawn sounds very black metal, but no cover songs will ever be better than originals...
One more significant aspect you have to know about the music is that Gravespawn plays lots of medieval keyboard passages throughout the songs, which sound a bit like choirs. In fact, it`s just keyboards effects is all that give me this impression, there is no real choir in music of the band. Even so, it is still a very atmospheric black metal album.
You have fast pace of music and drums with heavier moments and slower drums in medieval track (tone of keyboards) entitled The Primordial Dynasty.
Some high pitched guitars, mid tempo atmospherics with bell toll effects as it is in song Hexenturm.
A rhythm guitar driven song is Sons of Mars that also goes with raw sounding shreds, mixed with chaotic fragments and keyboards that build to certain atmosphere of music (dark sensations).
You have some minor, melodic leads and backing vocals (lead vocals in majority are black metal shrieks all over the album) with fast & chaotic guitar moments as in song called Curse of the Ruins. Those speed metal guitars in fourth minute of the track (wish there was more of it in music of Gravespawn), plus eerie musical periods given by both sound of guitars and keyboards are better in its slower pace.
Heavy, abyssal and fast black metal track is Cocytus Winds Ascend. On top of metal music, there is some dense atmosphere composed by keyboardist, which sounds like angelic choir - only it`s not human choir...It`s one of the darkest black metal song of the album.
Another very harsh black metal track is The Dreadful Eye that they play with some minor orchestrations like Dimmu Borgir in earlier times. I think, those layered vocals give some depth and more darkness shades for music as well.
Kingdom of Cruelty as most of songs from the band, has some very raw guitar shreds and a bit more melodic harmonies-like in last minutes of the track. When wicked vocal laughs and not long enough guitar solos have kicked in, I have liked the song just better ...
Barbarian Misanthropy has very oriental music beginning that turns this song into folky black metal for a while, but later, the band delivers even grimmer and furious black metal riffs, until Slayer classic begins...
...Never heard Die By The Sword of Slayer played like that - thrash metal classic with orchestrations and guitar solos ala Bathory done by Gravespawn sounds very black metal, but no cover songs will ever be better than originals...
One more significant aspect you have to know about the music is that Gravespawn plays lots of medieval keyboard passages throughout the songs, which sound a bit like choirs. In fact, it`s just keyboards effects is all that give me this impression, there is no real choir in music of the band. Even so, it is still a very atmospheric black metal album.
Tracklist:
1. The Primordial Dynasty
2. Hexenturm
3. Sons of Mars
4. Curse of the Ruins
5. Cocytus Winds Ascend
6. The Dreadful Eye
7. Kingdom of Cruelty
8. Barbarian Misanthropy
9. Die by the Sword (Slayer cover)
1. The Primordial Dynasty
2. Hexenturm
3. Sons of Mars
4. Curse of the Ruins
5. Cocytus Winds Ascend
6. The Dreadful Eye
7. Kingdom of Cruelty
8. Barbarian Misanthropy
9. Die by the Sword (Slayer cover)
Review by Slawek Migacz
Added: 02.12.2020
Added: 02.12.2020