GRAVDAL

Debut full-length album by Norwegian Black Metal band.
Gravdal is a new Black Metal band from the legendary Norwegian Bergen scene, with bands like Gorgoroth, Trelldom, Enslaved, Immortal and many others reside. Gravdal consist of among others of Aeternus and Malsain members.
The band performs "straight in the face" Black Metal. The sound, the tunes, the vocals… Everything just reeks of Norway, and not in a bad way. Galge’s vocal efforts are magnificent, as he carries that harsh and grim scream that sounds oh-so-brutal when in his native tongue. And fortunately, it’s all in their native tongue. The riffing carries a certain amount of melody, while remaining within the old school aura. It’s harsh and raw, yet still melodic. There’s a great deal of tempo changes to keep things interesting, as blasting and brutality can be vigilant one moment, only to be replaced by a slow and agonized section of dissonant (in a good way) strings and marvelous melody up the yin yang. There are tons of twists and turns that keeps you on your feet, but they never step too far off the platform to stumble into the swamp of Progressiveness. Both guitars and bass are fully audible, and interact perfectly with the great drumming. And sound-wise it fits like a tailor-made glove; remaining cold and grim but with a good sound quality.
The lyrical theme is based on proclaiming the tragedy of humans with weak will and to that extent lead their conceited misconceptions of self into despair.
The album was mixed and mastered by Herbrand Larsen from Enslaved at Earshot Studio who is also known for his work with Gorgoroth and Octavia Sperati to name a few.
Fans of the old school Norwegian Black Metal sound will probably get a kick, as well as fans of Craft and the likes. If Gravdal keeps this up, they are on to greatness!
Unexploded Records, 2008 (UER027). Made in Sweden. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Intro 2:00
2. Tomhet 3:46
3. Angst 2:30
4. Sadist 3:57
5. Lidelse 5:18
6. Selvmord 3:31
7. Den Kalde Marsjen Hjem 4:00
8. Til Helvete 3:49
Total playing time: 28:51