As one who has observed the evolution of the black metal world over the past two decades, it’s no surprise to see its ambient spin-off: dungeon synth become more and more prominent, particularly with the ever increasing popularity of atmospheric black metal.
What made the sophomore studio album by Spanish one-man project, Khull stand out is due to my personal misgivings about the aforementioned spin-off. I’m not a huge fan of dungeon synth on its own as its name carries a few connotations with Varg Vikernes, the darling fascist bullyboy who poisoned black metal with right wing maladies and is a walking-talking punchline at this moment in black metal history. Secondly, ambient music can be an acquired taste, of which I’m not so enlightened, however with the right balance of dungeon synth and decent black metal, you would have a masterpiece epitomised by what this bloke from Murcia came up with.
Where Shadows Rise offers a series of beautifully crafted fantasy tales containing stories of dragons, swords, battlefields and the most wondrous castles and keeps that big minds like Mervyn Peake could only imagine. This might sound like your bog-standard black metal outing, but the composition of the guitar driven discordance and balance with the keyboard driven melodies give it that medieval vibe adding an extra spiciness needed for an audible adventure.
All tracks, including the instrumental end pieces flow like a symphony composed from centuries past and Khull offers a nod to the ancestors of his homeland who saw their fare share of conflicts that inspired modern fantasy fiction. My personal favourite was “Rise of the Dark Dragons” for it reminded me of many swashbuckling tales by Michael Moorcock, Mark Lawrence and Robin Hobb that involved fire breathing beasts in battle.
Overall, this is something you’d recommend to the type of metal head who regularly plays Dungeons & Dragons or collects fantasy novels and games and enjoys the melodies associated with the changing face of black metal. It would be appropriate to offer Khull’s work to lovers of power and symphonic metal too to introduce them to the black metal echelons who share their love for fantasy.
(8/10 Demitri Levantis)
Leave a Reply