One of those couple of yearly, very well wrapped packages of discs from Russia courtesy of Solitude Productions turned up and I wondered if it was going to contain anything new from the mighty Raventale, surely it was about time, being a year since the last ‘Bringer Of Heartsore.’ Indeed once finally opened the pile before me had the gold disc within, a new Raventale opus entitled ‘Transcendence’. Straight on my review pile with that then!
What we have here are four epic tracks and this time round composer Astaroth Merc has been joined by Vald providing main vocals and Anton Belov on additional voice. You never know quite what you are going to get with a Raventale disc style wise, although you know that the music is going to be mighty and powerful. Quite often I have found myself pondering towards calling work atmospheric doom on listening to it but things are quickly apparent here that this time around we are heading down a much more clearly defined black metal left hand path.
The country of origin Ukraine is equally evident as the lush naturistic and dreamy tones of ‘Shine’ open proceedings. We are lulled in and it sounds gorgeous but then the drums pound in and the utterly gravid vocals of Vald take you a bit by surprise and it has to be said take a little getting used to. We are very much in the forest and there is a distempered bear with thorn in paw amidst the trees. The melody then hits and it is all about that as this mid-paced number literally shimmers and gleams and twists and turns. Guitar chords that are very reminiscent of Drudkh put in an appearance and the proud yet somewhat sorrowful melody has you well and truly in its grip. Add in a solo towards the end, a warm wave of synth and guttural vocal roar and by now I realise this is going to be quite a special album. Much more frantic, the drumming on ‘Room Winter’ pounds in and although the track may well be fast the authority and depth of atmosphere is not compromised. More wretched higher-pitched and curdling vocals now enter the picture and the keyboard sound drifts lugubriously around everything. I am kind of reminded a bit of a mix of a much better sounding Hate Forest enriched by the drifting flow of our own Fen as the number slows then speeds up again.
‘Without Movement’ is a bit of a misnomer by title as it is quite a jaunty and bouncy track with plenty of life about it. By now the vocal stance should be one you have come to grips with the vocals and the long flowing acoustic guitar parts surging into rapid bursting thrusts of majestic sound should certainly bring a shiver down the spine. The title track concludes and again after a shimmering synth intro gallops off taking you on a mad canter through the trees. Apparently the album is thematically about “contemplation of transcendental and exorbitant forms of being against the background of conventionality and immanent degradation of modern civilisation” I could be slightly vacuous and state that it works for me as with this pounding away I can simply forget about all the crap going on outside as it plays.
Nothing really left to say except this is excellent and try to decide how high a mark to give it!
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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