The first thing that this album’s arrival had me do was give me a nudge in the direction of what I guess we could refer to as sister act Blood Ceremony and see if there was any news on forthcoming material from them following Lords Of Misrule in 2016. Nothing on that front unfortunately. The constant between the two acts is Lucas Gadke who has kept himself busy with Völur who are now releasing their third full-length album since they were conceived in 2013. Along with him this trio consists of drummer Jimmy P Lightning (an apt name for someone providing the thunder) and Laura Bates who brings strings such as violin and viola to the fore replacing the more rock accoutrements of the guitar completely. This should give you some idea what to expect here if you have not already heard the band in the past. I particularly enjoyed the last album Ancestors from the Canadians and found the interesting titles of the album and tracks here worthy of further exploration which luckily we have been provided with. Human sacrifice as related by Tacitus in his book Germania is the source point of it all and apparently “Germanic tribes of the Baltic Sea worshipped the earth goddess Nerthus by a mysterious ritual that ended with the drowning of four slaves.” It’s the pointlessness of such sacrifices that seemingly struck Lucas and one cannot help but think of Sargent Howie telling the Lord Of Summerisle that despite his ultimate sacrifice the crops will still fail and his future demise will be the only suitable next step. With violin so prescient here too one cannot help but think of Stravinsky and the ominous tale behind his astounding Rite Of Spring.
It’s the liking of both apocryphal tales and the music of doom as well as classical appreciation is just what was needed here. Again, we are confronted by four lengthy (although not as lengthy as on Ancestors) tracks and a trip in the mind back to very pagan times. A strident note pierces as play is pressed but things quickly settle as we are led into ‘Inviolate Grove’ and the instrumentation gently meanders around the weave of violin and slowly beating drums. There’s definitely an aspect of folk music to acknowledge as it wafts around, melody takes to a log cabin in the rural Canadian hinterlands and a place not moved by the progress of time. Eventually the vocals come in cleanly related by Lucas and Laura subtly enforcing the strong and beseeching melody. Gradually things build in tempo and with them the vocals take on a much more blackened hue rasping away in the restless forest and calling out for blood. Welcome to the ritual! Blood-crazed backing vocals add to the lustful furrow of the strings and before you realise we have moved into the next segment and the ‘Dead Moon’ sombrely casts its glow. This it does in a way that is somewhat pastoral and relaxed but vocally there is very much a demon deep in the forest awaiting its unholy blood-sacrifice. The calm of the music and the background vocals are very much at odds and make an interesting contrast. Doom aficionados will gently nod along to this, others may think the song goes nowhere fast but there is plenty of drama to come in the longest sacrificial cut of the album ‘Freyjan Death Cult.’ Strange and avant-garde we move into modern classical music along with elements of free jazz now as the ever-twisting story unfolds and continues to beguile. Harmonious and trippy this concerto of the damned contains both clean chants and raspy vocals from both Lucas and Laura along with staccato rhythmic thrusts. The gentle motions and feelings of calm are retained but the drama is never far away with crescendos from powerful slow drumming and ghastly surges in blackened witchy vocals with the instrumentation kept on the boil threatening to explode. This really is an exercise in musical modernism from a classical viewpoint that will make it a somewhat unique and possibly unsettling listening experience for many.
It is time to hail the ‘Reverend Queen’ for the final rite with symphonic and choral elements adding rich baritone and lilting birdsong voices which are married over a backdrop of heavy ceremonial doom. I think its fair to say that despite at some points indulging itself in long flowing passages many elements and genres are utilised over the album and it is one to really concentrate on to get the most out of it. The thunder of the aforementioned Stravinsky unveils itself on the last number and during the journey we have even encountered sensibilities and motions of the likes of Penderecki. Any album that leads to citations of such composers rather than more traditional rock artists has to be an invitation to check out something a little bit different from the norm as far as I am concerned. As for sacrificial rites, pointless or not they do appease the people and cheer them up. With the world in turmoil as it is and those in “control” obviously failing us right now, well I hardly need to suggest the obvious!
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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