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A must own for anyone who calls themselves a Black Metal fan.-
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| Darkwoods My Betrothed: Heirs of the Northstar |
Black Metal
Kvltvre Records, No Sign of Life Records
2011
- My Eyes are Frozen - 3:29
- One Son of the Northstar - 5:35
- Uller - 5:31
- From the Snowy Hillsides They Came - 4:11
- In a Silent Night - 4:34
- Come Fimbulvetr - 5:27
- Yggdrasil's Children Fall - 16:10
- Act I: The Death of Balder
- Act II: A Farewell to the Son of Odin
- Act III: Hermod's Ride to Hel
- Act IV: The Bounding of Loki
- Act V: The Final Battle
- Act VI: A New Heaven, A New Earth
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| Review Information |
Release length: 44:54
Review posted on December 21st, 2011
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| | Initial Pressing: 9.5/10 |
 
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| 2011 Reissue: 9.5/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Heirs of the Northstar (1995) • Autumn Roars Thunder (1996) • Witch-Hunts (1998)
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| Split(s): |
Sacrament of Wilderness (1998) • The Eerie Sampler (1999)
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| Demo(s): |
Dark Aureoles Gathering (1994)
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| Compilation(s): |
Dark Aureroles Gathering (2000)
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| Review |
Darkness My Betrothed is a Black Metal band from Finland that actually walks the line between being known, and being underground. The group formed in 1994, issued a demo, then found themselves signing to Hammerheart Records for their 1995 debut full-length album, Heirs of the Northstar. The album was pressed twice with different artwork to signify which run, and apparently had a limited pressing of one thousand each. Since then, the group found themselves on Spinefarm Records for their third full-length, issued a few split releases, a compilation, and then vanished with no indication if the band is still together or not. But, given the small run the band had, and how little information one can find out there for this group, does this band that drove themselves further underground have a debut that can withstand the test of time?
The production on Heirs of the Northstar is top-notch for a mid nineties release. The album is as clean as it could be for that time, having just enough of a rough, raw bite to it to make the music sound crushing, but there's also the volume levels to take into consideration. The guitars sound rather sharp, but thanks to the quality and the louder bass, they simply sound punishing with a slightly blunt edge. The bass really stands out, being as loud as the guitars and easy to pick up on in the mix, adding an additional layer to the rhythm of the music as the wailing vocals echo in a higher pitched wail over their cacophony. The drums add to the madness perfectly with pounding snares that match the volume of the rest of the kit, deep bass-driven thuds of the kicks, and cymbals that command your attention as they fill up the music nicely. From the moment "My Eyes are Frozen" kick in, the music grabs the listener by the throat and leaves him or her captivated with the brutal aggression that accompanies the second wave Black Metal riffs.
The atmosphere to Heirs of the Northstar is another element that works in favor of the band, creating a captivating mixture of occult-themed haunting darkness with a grandeur suitable for some of the more epic viking lore inspired tracks. The additional keyboards that appear at times really feed into this environment nicely, as shown during the start of the release. "My Eyes are Frozen" is an uncompromising Black Metal assault that finds itself a little on the faster side with the music simply punishing anyone able to hear it. The catchy riffs that appear are mixed well with generally angry and oppressive passages that really drive the chaotic and eerie sound home. For the whole three and a half minutes this song exists, it doesn't let up on the listener for a second, though it does feel as if it fades out too fast, and too early. But before you can even begin to wish the song didn't end so abruptly, "One Son of the Northstar" kicks in with a less fiery, energetic intensity to it, but really captures a darker atmosphere compared to the previous track. Everything starts working together a lot better when the wailing vocals kick in, completing the terrifying package nicely as the bass becomes a subtle focal point with its dominating presence.
"Uller" marks a dramatic shift in the band's sound though. For that ruthless aggression that appears at the start, the mood changes to a more old-school epic sense, finding the bass more important than ever in a NWOBHM sense. This Black Metal track carries a dominating epic and grand atmosphere, as well as foundation with it. The vocal performance even changes to a clean singing chant style one would find in traditional Viking Metal releases, but still having that echo effect to make it sound slightly inhuman and creepy. The additional keyboards that appear through the song work out well to make it richer and build up those specific parts of the song, such as the closing and the chanting that comes from it, making it sound far more vital than previous passages, which is something one might expect from a track such as this one. But this type of song isn't necessarily one you will find a lot of the release, and ends up being a bit of a wild card that may seem a bit out-of-place, but works so well given that already present slightly epic edge to the more aggressive sounding songs here that you can't help but accept it.
The rest of the album is as strong as "One Song of the Northstar," though never quite having that magic that "My Eyes are Frozen" had. This isn't a bad thing though, as these tracks are still intense from start to finish, and give off a solid dark and haunting tone, even if "Come Fumbulvetr" does carry a bit of a sleeker sound to it thanks to the strong focus on the guitar then the bass. All of these tracks finish around the typical time of five and a half minutes or under, aside the closing track. "Yggdrasil's Children Fall" is a sixteen minute plus track that is divided into six different acts, and of course this isn't strictly limited to the abrasive Black Metal sound of previous tracks. In fact, this saga kicks off with the aforementioned Viking Metal approach of chanting vocals and an epic sound similar to "Uller," though a little weaker in comparison. This eventually grows into a stronger Black Metal approach, but not before a bridging spoken word narration to introduce the next chapter that is actually a little hard to hear due to how low it is compared to the music. This happens quite a lot through the track, but it's the somber music behind these spoken words that fit the atmosphere of the track which keeps it all flowing nicely.
Unfortunately, it's that clean chanting on "Yggdrasil's Children Fall" that ends up hurting the song. Unlike "Uller," many of these parts actually feel kind of weak and, like during what seems to be "Act III: Hermod's Ride to Hel," a little silly thanks largely to how far back in the mix they are, drowning out any real enunciation that existed. But that becomes the only real issue to this part of the album. "Yggdrasil's Children Fall" is a fantastic longer track that flows smoothly and offers up some great music despite some of those faults in the vocals.
| 2011 Reissue: |
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It's been a while since this album was made available, and Kvltvre Records, a division of No Sign of Life Records, has picked up this album for a proper reissue. Everything remains the same with the release, which is fantastic considering it was a super release to start with. The only difference is that now it's in a circulation that Heirs of the Northstar deserved from the start. The only thing is that the second pressing of the initial release was a white disk with black lettering, and that's exactly what Kvltvre Records has put out. Luckily there's a 2011 copyright stamp on the disk or this would lead to problems with verifying the initial over the reissue. But, aside that, nothing seems to have been changed or altered in any way, and it's still the same venomous Black Metal release that came out many years ago. |
Heirs of the Northstar is simply a fantastic Black Metal offering. While it does have it's faults in the way the clean chanting vocals are handled towards the end, the album's only other fault is wrapping a song up on a high note instead of pushing it a little more. Darkwoods My Betrothed may not be on the radar anymore, but their debut offering is still one Black Metal release that is really worth tracking down. And thanks to Kvltvre Records, it's easier to obtain this record that easily would have been forever lost in the shadows. This is an album that deserves to be heard, and since both are the same quality, it all depends on whether you want the first pressing, the reprint, or the 2011 reissue in your collection. If you consider yourself a Black Metal fan, any one of these pressing of Heirs of the Northstar need to be in your possession.
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Physical review copy of this release provided by:
Kvltvre Records
via No Sign of Life Records. |
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