Monday, March 17, 2008

Album Review: Graveland - "Will Stronger Than Death"

Graveland - Will Stronger Than Death

Artist: Graveland (Poland)
Album Title: Will Stronger Than Death
Label: No Colours Records (Germany)
Released: 2007

Chances are, just about every fan of pagan metal has at least a passing familiarity with Graveland's Rob Darken. Whether it is the controversy he has courted over the years due to his political affiliations and interviews, or his flow of almost-yearly album releases, he remains a visible and outspoken figure in the scene.

I'm not much of a fan of Graveland's early, black metal, period. And I never really got into albums like Thousand Swords, despite having heard many good things about them. My introduction to Graveland (and I admit this rather sheepishly, since it will reveal me to be a relative newcomer) was 2005's Fire Chariot of Destruction, an excellent and epic album. I began tracking down many of his earlier releases, but Fire Chariot of Destruction remained my very favorite. Since with each release his production skills improved (and the "epic-ness" seemed to increase), I felt that Will Stronger Than Death would be even more sweeping.

However, I was shocked (and, admittedly, a little dismayed at first) to find that Will Stronger Than Death is actually a step back in many ways. The production is less clear and the keyboards and choirs are used less often than on its predecessor. It seems that maybe Rob Darken realized that he didn't want to continue travelling in that direction and made a bit of a departure. I was unhappy about this at first, but then I gave the album a chance and realized that, in many ways, this is quite possibly the best Graveland CD I've heard.

The key to the appeal of this album is, for the most part, the riffs. The riffs are like the sound of war. The drums help give it that effect as well. The riffs are repetitive, certainly, but they work together to cast a persistent mood throughout the album. The color of the album is almost entirely gray, like you're traveling into battle with clouds looming overhead. That kind of mood may cause some to tire of the album, since every song at least on a surface level sounds quite similar to the one that preceded it, but, if you're in the right mood, it's a very satisfying listen. The elements of the album will be familiar to anyone acquainted with the sound of modern Graveland (including that barely-decipherable, almost-emotionless croak of Darken's); it's the strong songwriting that helps it stand out from its already-strong predecessors.

I guess the easy way to say this is that if you didn't like any Graveland before, Will Stronger Than Death is not likely to win you over, but I think even fans of certain periods in Graveland's career who have been alienated by the newer albums may find this to be a pleasant surprise. As for me, I have heard enough comparisons to his earlier work that I may have to track down some more releases.

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