Graveland
The Celtic Winter
[No Colours]
What can be said about Graveland that hasn't already been said ? In a scene full of
generic Dissection clones and other melodic black metal fare, Graveland hit you like a
full force boot to the head, reminding you of what black metal USED to and SHOULD sound
like. No maidenesque guitar lines, no frivolous use of synths, and none of that polished
to hell and back production that plagues so much of today's black metal. This is pure,
straight forward, unadulterated black metal, and a bloody brilliant release. A great deal
of comparisons have been made between Graveland and Darkthrone, and while Rob Darken &
company have moved away from that style somewhat in recent years, on "The Celtic Winter"
(recorded back in the years of 1993-1994), it's quite easy to see why people have labeled
this as Poland's answer to Darkthrone...err...well, at least I have >:]
This is apparently the 3rd time "the Celtic Winter" has been released (originally as a demo, and then a shortened version as a MCD), but the 1st time the complete recording has been made available on CD (at least from what I gathered from the linear notes by Darken himself found inside the booklet). What we have here is just slightly over 38 minutes divided amongst 7 tracks (well, 5 tracks if you don't count "Intro" and "Prolog" - there's also an outro appended to the end of track 7, but it's nowhere to be found on the track listing itself). Most of the songs have a very similar structure/sound to them, but this is isn't to say you walk away thinking "Well, it was good, but nothing really stood out" - quite the opposite actually. Each tracks stands strongly on it's own, but as a whole, the definitive style showcased here helps to set a very definitive mood to the CD. It starts out (as one would logically assume) with "Intro", and the name pretty much sums it up : a beautiful synth line, a subdued rhythm line, and the sounds of clanking swords and grunting in the background, all which creates the atmosphere of a battle not quite yet in full swing, or perhaps the tail end of one, where only the last few are left standing. This then leads into "Call of the Black Forest", which sets the standard for the next two tracks ("Hordes of Empire" and "The Night of Fullmoon") - ferocious vocals, heavy yet piercing guitars playing a plethora of rhythms and underlying rhythms (with some great "groove" segments in each of the tracks), solid drumming (not quite as "loose" sounding (for lack of a better description) as what can be found on later Graveland CDS), and solidly played yet fluid bass lines. There are also synths to be found, but they are very tastefully done, and never included just for the sake of their own inclusion, or to help create an atmosphere - the guitars themselves do a more than superb job of doing that themselves, and the synths are an addition to it, not a replacement. After the 1st three songs, "Prolog" begins - a masterful combination of a tribal (and NO, I don't mean that in the common sense of the word) drum rhythm and guitar lines which help showcase Darkens uncanny ability to creating the most encompassing of moods at the drop of a hat. Someday he will be recognized as the ubermensch of atmosphere - who else can do this with only 1 guitar and the simplest of drum patterns ? "Prolog" also helps to separate the 1st three songs from their brethren on the tail end of the CD, "The Gates to the Kingdom of Darkness" and "The Return of Funeral Winds". On the 1st of the these two, the synth gets jumped up a notch or two in volume (as do the thundering drums of Capricornus), but in no way detracts from the rest of the song - one of the few instances where loud synths do not ruin a song - the song then spirals on for six minutes before "The Return..." starts, the "epic" of the CD with a running time of over 8 minutes. I find myself at a lack of things to say right about now, because the sheer "feel" of the CD can't be separated from the music - it's so intertwined I can only offer up the evaluation of the whole, and not the separate parts which make it up per se - and the evaluation : be prepared to be taken somewhere else entirely separate from your own reality - this is "majestic" stuff in the full sense of the word - not that plastic majestic which you so often encounter on endless amounts of CDS - this is the *real* deal - you will be swept away into a world of hatred, pain, and pride...
So why are you still reading this review ? GET OUT THERE AND BUY THIS RIGHT NOW!!
© 1997 chorazaim
This is apparently the 3rd time "the Celtic Winter" has been released (originally as a demo, and then a shortened version as a MCD), but the 1st time the complete recording has been made available on CD (at least from what I gathered from the linear notes by Darken himself found inside the booklet). What we have here is just slightly over 38 minutes divided amongst 7 tracks (well, 5 tracks if you don't count "Intro" and "Prolog" - there's also an outro appended to the end of track 7, but it's nowhere to be found on the track listing itself). Most of the songs have a very similar structure/sound to them, but this is isn't to say you walk away thinking "Well, it was good, but nothing really stood out" - quite the opposite actually. Each tracks stands strongly on it's own, but as a whole, the definitive style showcased here helps to set a very definitive mood to the CD. It starts out (as one would logically assume) with "Intro", and the name pretty much sums it up : a beautiful synth line, a subdued rhythm line, and the sounds of clanking swords and grunting in the background, all which creates the atmosphere of a battle not quite yet in full swing, or perhaps the tail end of one, where only the last few are left standing. This then leads into "Call of the Black Forest", which sets the standard for the next two tracks ("Hordes of Empire" and "The Night of Fullmoon") - ferocious vocals, heavy yet piercing guitars playing a plethora of rhythms and underlying rhythms (with some great "groove" segments in each of the tracks), solid drumming (not quite as "loose" sounding (for lack of a better description) as what can be found on later Graveland CDS), and solidly played yet fluid bass lines. There are also synths to be found, but they are very tastefully done, and never included just for the sake of their own inclusion, or to help create an atmosphere - the guitars themselves do a more than superb job of doing that themselves, and the synths are an addition to it, not a replacement. After the 1st three songs, "Prolog" begins - a masterful combination of a tribal (and NO, I don't mean that in the common sense of the word) drum rhythm and guitar lines which help showcase Darkens uncanny ability to creating the most encompassing of moods at the drop of a hat. Someday he will be recognized as the ubermensch of atmosphere - who else can do this with only 1 guitar and the simplest of drum patterns ? "Prolog" also helps to separate the 1st three songs from their brethren on the tail end of the CD, "The Gates to the Kingdom of Darkness" and "The Return of Funeral Winds". On the 1st of the these two, the synth gets jumped up a notch or two in volume (as do the thundering drums of Capricornus), but in no way detracts from the rest of the song - one of the few instances where loud synths do not ruin a song - the song then spirals on for six minutes before "The Return..." starts, the "epic" of the CD with a running time of over 8 minutes. I find myself at a lack of things to say right about now, because the sheer "feel" of the CD can't be separated from the music - it's so intertwined I can only offer up the evaluation of the whole, and not the separate parts which make it up per se - and the evaluation : be prepared to be taken somewhere else entirely separate from your own reality - this is "majestic" stuff in the full sense of the word - not that plastic majestic which you so often encounter on endless amounts of CDS - this is the *real* deal - you will be swept away into a world of hatred, pain, and pride...
So why are you still reading this review ? GET OUT THERE AND BUY THIS RIGHT NOW!!
© 1997 chorazaim