I was quite pleased to see Eldamar and Dreams of Nature teaming up for this brilliant split to kick off 2017. Also, the split is being released through one of my favorite labels, Northern Silence Productions. Although there are only two songs total on the release, I must say that the quality of the music is well worth the purchase and both acts skillfully demonstrate their atmospheric black metal talents.
In my opinion, what makes this release extremely special is that these two artists know how to compose captivating pieces of atmospheric black metal. Eldamar and Dreams of Nature have been releasing some high quality material within the last couple years. Eldamar’s debut album, “The Force of the Ancient Land,” came out last year along with Dreams of Nature’s, “Magic Transcendence,” which was the follow-up to the band’s 2015 highly acclaimed release, “Spirit of Nature.”
Eldamar starts the split off with the track, “Hagalaz.” In the background rain can be heard falling down as the synth and drums slowly builds up to create an epic sounding main verse section. I like how Eldamar uses the guitar to be a main driving force in their music instead of turning down the volume and making it simply background noise. The recording of each instrument is perfectly executed along with the vocals. Faint echoes of black metal growls contrast with vibrant melodic choir like vocals to create a constantly evolving musical landscape. The dynamic songwriting skills of Eldamar throughout the song allows you to become lost in this magnificent world of atmospheric black metal. Sometimes I forget the song is around eleven minutes, because my attention is solely focused on each note and each sound.
Dreams of Nature’s song, “Eternal Twilight,” is also a very exceptionally written track with vocals provided by Lord Valke from Svarte. I like the arrangements and how the music will fade out for a bit and then return in a triumphant sounding manner. The drum parts during the track really standout, especially when the music’s tempo becomes faster like towards the end of the song. Compared to Eldamar, the vocals during this song take on a different quality, because the style used is more in the vein of your traditional style black metal vocals. Overall, you get a great track from Dreams of Nature after hearing a great track from Eldamar.
I think 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for metal music and this split featuring Eldamar and Dreams of Nature is helping to validate my claim. I encourage both bands to keep up their phenomenal songwriting skills as both of them are becoming such respected acts in the world of atmospheric black metal. The work ethic and dedication that went into this release is truly special, so I highly recommend everyone who is reading this review to check out the split right away.
Click on the link to listen to the full split:
Eldamar Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/eldamarnorway/
Dreams of Nature Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamsofnature1/
Northern Silence Productions:
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernSilenceProductions/
Enjoyed review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robby