Style: Epic black metal with folk elements
Primary Emotions/Themes: A reverie to all that was lost
Thoughts:
"This is a song for the cursed
No one knows when the end comes
Far away there is maybe an elixir for me
When winter comes in my land
This curse seems to be noble
But is it really a curse to love loneliness?"
That's how the opening song Between Hope and Reality starts. Sung by a choir of men with a deeply sorrowful tone, it immediately sets the tone for the album. In doing so creates one of the single best folk black metal songs I have ever heard.
This song - Between Hope and Reality - is such an epic, such a magnificent song, that I am probably going to spend most if not all of this summary discussing it. It immediately made me fall in love with the band and the album, probably unlike anything else I have ever heard. If they never released another song in the band's career I would be content, this song is that wonderful.
After the initial acoustic introduction with the choir, the band explodes with a powerful riff matched by a flute. Normally I am not a fan of flutes in metal - they tend to cheapen the music, and become the main focus of the song. It's a gimmick more often than not and it drives me nuts... but not here. This is a tasteful compliment to the main melody and does not dominate the song so much as other folk metal bands. There is still a song here without the flute.
When the black metal finally does kick in with the vocals they do not disappoint in the slightest. They have girth, like a man who has lost many loved ones to harsh winters. They have character, like a mother who has fought against the elements to save her surviving children. It has sanctity and a sense of innocence as well, like the children who do not know how harsh the world is that lay before them. All these things tied up in a single vocal style... to say that they have depth is an understatement.
The song eventually breaks into full on black metal with tremolo picking and a blast beat. The harsh and clean vocals intertwine to create a near wall of sound effect, it's chilling. The song continues to build in both urgency and scope until it's nearly overwhelming. Even sitting here now while listening I've had to take several breaks to take it all in.
The song continues to go between acoustic, black metal, folk, and ambient. No one part overstays its welcome and no one part is complete without all of the others intermixing to create this epic song. Fifteen minutes this continues, not one second is wasted or lost. A near perfect song.
The remainder of the album does not match up to the standards set by the opener. They are fine songs in their own right, but they do not move me anywhere near as the first one does. That's ok though, this is one of the very few times that I believe an album is worth owning simply for the first song of the album.
"I miss the meadow
I feel the grass caressing my being
I see the forest
I see the leaves falling..."
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