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An album only hurt by the lack of a rhythm guitarist.-
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| Hyperborean: The Spirit of Warfare |
Melodic Black Metal
Abyss Records
April 26th, 2011
- Channelling the Spirit of Warfare - 7:12
- Weapon Mankind - 7:03
- Viper - 7:10
- The Last Stand of Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopylae - 9:54
- A New Sun Rises - 5:39
- Killing Grounds - 4:21
- The Sick Man of Europe - 6:33
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| Review Information |
Release length: 47:52
Review posted on April 23rd, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8.5/10 |
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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): |
The Spirit of Warfare (2011)
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| Demo(s): |
Of Malice (2002) • Thorns Scar Her Soul (2003) • Prey (2005)
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| Review |
Sweden's Hyperborean formed back in 2000 as a Melodic Black Metal band. As the years went by, the band issued three demo recordings, as well as submitted a track to the compilation CD Hordes of Darkness. The last demo to be recorded was Prey, which was issued by the band back in 2005. Six years later, the band finds themselves signed to Abyss Records to release their debut full-length recording, The Spirit of War. Given the dramatic pause in material from the band over that time, one can't help but wonder if Hyperborean had utilized the time wisely to craft a superb full-length album or not.
One of the biggest lures to Hyperborean is the fact that the group performs rather long songs. While only seven tracks, the whole release makes up about forty seven minutes of music, which is quite impressive, especially if the material here can be as engaging as one would hope from a Melodic Black Metal act. While the music does slightly suffer from the group being a simple three piece and trying to incorporate some melody without a rhythm guitarist to keep the music rich, the band does manage to deliver. "Weapon Making" is the second track in, and it's the song that will really take hold of the listener, where as "Channlingt he Spirit of Warfare" is a good song, it just sounds a little more hollow at times. "Weapon Making" takes on a more traditional Black Metal foundation with some simpler melodic elements added into the chords that progress the music without leaving open sections that feel like the bass isn't loud enough to fill in for a missing rhythm guitarist who should be present to make the music sound richer and full. This song also has some keyboards added in throughout, and it just makes for a nice addition as it feeds off the slower, more melancholic, and often gothic tones and atmospheres of the recording well. The song does pick up the pace momentarily, which makes the song sound a little more chaotic, happening on more then one occassion, and even when it's not moving fast, "Weapon Making" will have your head bobbing along to the catchy rhythm and melodic melancholy-laced hooks.
Most of the songs on here are just a little over seven minutes, or shorter. "Killing Grounds" winds up being the shortest track off the album, clocking in at four minutes and twenty two seconds. However, "The Last Stand of Leoniads and the Battle of Thermopylae" is just a few seconds shy of the ten minute mark. This song is also one of the more consistent faster tracks on the recording, and not just a slower pace with some spastic faster moments thrown in, though when the slower passages of the track hit, they become rather dramatic and sound very epic in a fluid manner. Of course this song also falls prey to the melodic guitars without rhythm backing, but most of these are bridges between the more epic passages. There are more keyboards added to this song as well, which also helps with the more dramatic vibe of the music, making it richer and far more serious without going too over-the-top with the guitars, and it really does help out the more hollow moments of the recording, leading to a song that doesn't just sound good but have no real impact, such as the slower paced "Viper" which was good for a Melodic Black Metal track, but it fell prey to all the pitfalls mentioned above, as well as just came off a little more bland then what it should have been. But, for as well done and engaging as this song is, the shorter tracks show promise too, though don't really compare to the atmosphere the longer tracks have.
"A New Sun Rises" is a great song, and really seems to capture the more melancholic and slower paced atmosphere of the earlier tracks "Channeling the Spirit of Warfare" and "Weapon Making". The length itself allows the band to give it a depth that is just as strong and deep as those tracks, and the atmosphere really builds throughout the entire song. "Killing Grounds, however, seems to suffer from the shorter track length. As mentioned, this is the shortest song on the recording, and because of that the band seems to come off more rushed with the track, using a faster pace to create a song that sounds sinister from start to finish and really utilizes the keyboards nicely to fill in behind the lead guitar and it's more melodic undertakings. However, the song lacks the kind of substance the other songs had, which was the melancholic vibe, sinister sound, and a generally deep composition in all aspects of the music, lyrics and even vocals. It's not a bad song, but it doesn't really offer much substantial material to keep the listener entertained past a few spins with that track, especially when "The Sick Man of Europe" kicks in with that deathly sound you hear on many tracks, but the keyboards and gutteral approach accompanying the rhaspier Black Metal wails really help out the album in a very minimalist form that gives it an additional epic vibe from how the band manages to musically emote the sensations that they seem to easily portray in their music. The only gripe is that the song feels like it ends while there is more to it, as if the fade out effect utilized on the recording had been a little premature.
Other then that, The Spirit of Warfare is a well composed album without any real faults. The lack of a rhythm guitarist hurts, and after "Channeling the Spirit of Warfare", the band seems to utilize the keyboards more to make the melodic lead guitar sound richer, as if not trying to tackle melodic hooks by himself. Had the band used this concept a little more, there's no doubt the material om The Spirit of Warfare would have definitely made a bigger impact on the listener then it does. The production quality on the release is a little more raw, and at times it works in it's favor, but at time, like with the hollow sound behind the melodic lead guitars, it just kind of hurts the album by making the music sound a little weaker, not necessarily have that edge or bite to it to keep the listener hooked, but luckily the music is often well done enough that it manages to keep the listener content throughout the experience despite that.
As far as Melodic Black Metal acts go, sure, there are some better acts out there, but Hyperborean is definitely a band to keep your eyes on. The music performed is typically slower and a little simpler, which gives way to more epic-sounding material. With the right production and mastering qualities, the band can definitely pull off a memorable album that would far surpass this one. The Spirit of Warfare is still a strong album in it's own right, having melancholic epic-like songs that vary in speed, giving off accompanying atmospheres and emotions that will lead this release to find the listener going back for some repeat spins for a good while, even on a rainy day. What more could you really ask for then a solid Melodic Black Metal effort that will often having you headbanging to the rhythm and hooks that drive the music of Hyperborean? More then likely not much else...Not much else at all...
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Abyss Records
via Clawhammer PR.
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