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 I'm a big fan of the naturalistic black metal band. A majority of these bands practice the atmospheric brand of the genre (aka The Burzumic Path) and essentially play hypnotic, unsettling (yet calming in a weird manner), epic and uniquely melodic music. Barring a few, most of these bands use a real drum kit, and don't opt for programmed drums - a sure shot positive in my book. Most importantly, they stray away from the satanic or suicidal/depressive motifs and instead concentrate on nature, paganism, folklore (without straying too much into Folksy territory), the countryside and themes pertaining to that order. In 2004, a relatively unknown band (at that time) from Ukraine, aptly named Drudkh, pretty much cemented their place in the black metal hall of fame with the release of their sophomore effort, Autumn Aurora - a stellar release which proved to be one hell of an album; a gem amongst gems in the genre. Walknut, hailing from Ukraine's biggest brother, subscribe to the same school of thought. Graveforest And Their Shadows is the debut effort of this band composed of former BlazeBirth Hall band members.Comparing them to Drudkh, these guys are at times a much more chaotic band. But the basic idea is the same. Swirling rhythm sequences which sit at the base of your head like the fog does in London, subtle strings and ritualistic, relentless percussion make up the core of the album. The drumming is what makes this an above-average listen. It can easily be seen that a lot of thought has gone into it - lots of variety and not too much such that the repetitiveness is hampered. An epic sense of strange melody prevails throughout, lingering above the harsh surface carved out by the underlying riffs. The production is nothing phenomenal but serves well for such music. In the vocal department we are treated to some high-pitched yelps and cries exuding a 'plastic feel' which act as a slight deterrent - I would've liked them to have been slighlty less spaced out with reverb turned down a few bars. I nitpick though. Hrimfaxi, a short, floating, warm-synth ambient piece introduces us to the first of three behemoth-sized songs, Motherland Ostenvegr. Majestic, crushing and melancholic at the same time, it reveals to us mere signs of things to come. This is followed by the psychedelic, trance-inducing Come, dreadful Ygg, whose intro betrays a hidden Velvet Cacoon - Genevieve influence (a damn good thing according to me). Eleven minutes of Pagan-atmospheric goodness. The best song on the album is Grim Woods. Clocking in at 11:43, this is one surreal trip, perfectly bringing to life everything Walknut want to convey. There are two other instrumental passages which keep the flow of the album going smoothly. Add another damn good release to the already well-developed Eastern European black metal scene. Stay far away from this if you don't like the Hvis Lyset Tar Oss variety of black metal or if the sounds of Drudkh and Hate Forest do not float your boat. But even if you do take a liking to that odd Burzum song, do your best and dig this up. Even though I'll never know what a Graveforest is, this is some classic black metal. Label - Independant
Year of Release - 2008
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