Rating: 8.0

Country: Ukraine

Genre: Black/Pagan/Doom Metal

Record Label: BadMoodMan Music

Release Date: 2008

Track list:
1. By Gritting of Pain (Nostalgia)
2. Of Days Long Past
3. Up and Beyond the Horizon (Both Like Birds)
4. Sunset of the Age (Anathema cover)
5. From the Black Wells of Time
6. My Silhouette Leaving Far Away

Total playing time 44:10

Band Website: Raventale

Raventale - Of Days Long Passed

Astaroth - everything

Raventale is yet another one man black metal band, but don't let that scare you off. Of Days Long Passed is pleasantly different than most of the other one man black metal albums by which I have been recently aurally assaulted. Much of that has to do with the vision and musical talents of Astaroth.

Of Days Long Passed is a decidedly musical black metal effort. The riffs are well-constructed, in the vein of early Drudkh or mid-period Burzum. Slow is the operative tempo, both in the droning guitars and pensive, understated drumming (I'm not sure if these are live drums, but their precision makes me believe they are programmed), save for a few sections of ambient blastbeats scattered throughout. Calling this blackened doom wouldn't be a stretch, but this is not the dolorous boring doom of Nortt or Persistence in Mourning; the keyboards see to that. Unlike much black metal and doom metal with keyboards, these are not overpowering or overbearing, and are not the focus of the songs. They are quiet and subdued providing Of Days Long Passed with a truly haunting yet stately atmosphere.

In many ways Raventale's style of black metal is my favorite. The tempos, pacing and atmosphere remind me of Hammerheart/Twilight of the Gods Bathory, but without the silly Viking trappings that ruin many modern pagan/Viking black metal albums. There is palpable sadness in these songs, "Up and Beyond the Horizon (Both like Birds)" is a three and a half minute wash of swelling keyboards and cold guitars (I know, "How can guitars be cold?"  It's the cleaner, slightly industrial sound to these guitars, akin to Blut Aus Nord or Thorns) and despite being an instrumental it invokes the same feeling in me as "One Rode to Asa Bay."

Likewise impressive about Of Days Long Passed is that it's surprisingly heavy, and not just in its drear mood. Astaroth does an excellent job of layering the instruments to create a clear, full sound and in that layering manages to create the same atmosphere as Drudkh did on Forgotten Legends. This plays well as a companion piece to that aforementioned album (or really just about any Drudkh album) and it makes sense given Raventale's Ukrainian heritage. The nearly three minute solo that ends "Sunset of the Age" (an Anathema cover) is a beautiful lead of wailing, Arcturus-esque pyrotechnics, not something common to this subgenre of black metal and hearkens back to the days of the Second Wave where being musically adept was not a strike against a band and its "trueness."

Of Days Long Passed is a good album of blackened doom metal with a slight pagan bent. This fits nicely next to albums by Drudkh, Darkestrah and Peordh. While lacking the singular vision of those bands what Astaroth creates here holds up well to repeat listenings. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes with his next full length. I, for one, will be listening.

January 21, 2010