Review: Darkenhold - Memoria Sylvarum | |||||||
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Memoria Sylvarum | |||||||
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Label: Independent Year released: 2017 Duration: 44:19 Tracks: 9 Genre: Black Metal Rating: Review online: August 1, 2017 Reviewed by: Sargon the Terrible |
Readers' Rating How do you rate this release? Rated 3.5/5 (70%) (8 Votes)
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Review | |||||||
This is the awaited fourth album from Darkenhold, who have been doing a good job of holding high the banner of awesome that was French Black Metal of a decade ago, when so many of the other bands that made the scene great have fallen silent or become much less than they were. Nehemah have vanished, Himinbjorg and Belenos have had muddled, weak output, but here is Darkenhold going strong. This band really holds hard to the epic, melodic sound that was a trademark of Belenos in their heyday, while keeping a cold and almost thrashy edge to their songwriting that is unlike anyone else. I find this album overall a bit rougher and not as smooth as Castellum, and have come to really appreciate that. Too many bands go down the road of excessive melody and go soft, but Darkenhold remain dark and malevolent. The guitar sound is hard-edged and crisp, allowing a lot of play for the layered riffs and the sharp lead work. The songwriting is epic without losing track of the composition, and the album is just satisfying in every way. It's deep enough to reward repeated listens, while being direct enough to be visceral. A pummeling, dark, heavy throwback to the glory years of the French scene. |
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More about Darkenhold... | |||||||
Review: Castellum (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible) Review: Echoes From the Stone Keeper (reviewed by Memnarch) Review: Echoes From the Stone Keeper (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible) | |||||||
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