This is the third full-length album of ”infamous Polish nazis” Graveland, but because of the CDs with demo and EP material it was their fifth CD release. This album was taken up with enjoyment by most of the metal underground and I enjoyed it too.

In their previous album ”Thousand Swords” they had already travelled away from their original black metal lunacy, to Bathory-influenced pagan-folk-metal with slower, doomier tempos and an epic, soundtrack-like atmosphere. In ”Following the Voice of Blood” this direction is continued by long, contemplative, slow songs constructed of spaciously repeating country/folk riffs called by some imbeciles as ”southern rock” and interrupting them occasionally into a furious passage of Capricornus’ unique blast beat backing up Darken’s fervent intonations and battle riffs. It is intuitive and natural, the way the parts of the songs flow into each other here… and a concentrating listener will not get bored because of the space, since the realm of thought and pagan philosophy injected into this ”music” is metallic and pure.

This isn’t something you can listen to with haste, once through, and catch everything that is going on in there. It needs time, thought and different moods. It is also a very consistent work from beginning to end, and long with a playing time of over 70 minutes.

Keyboards are not used much on top of the metal, but interspersed within the work as pieces of a miniature symphony.

Production is somewhat rock/pop like in it’s clarity, it lacks colour. The guitar sound is electric, but not a fuzz. The utilization of the guitar is also more ”acoustic” on this record so the choice of sound for it is obvious. Drums are quite loud and at the blast moments the progression of the guitar is hard to hear because of the furious hammering. That works, however, to create an effect of frenzied battle confusion in this moments, to contrast the slowness of the ”folk” parts.

Wolven material, nice.

© 1999 black hate