Artist..: Valkyrja

Album...: The Invocation of Demise

Genre...: Black Metal                | Label...: Metal Blade Rec.
Year....: 2009                       | Cat.No..:

R.date..: 2023-07-26                 | S.date..: 2009-07-17

Source..: WEB (16bit)                | Encoder.: libFLAC
Bitrate.: 1049kbps avg.              | F.Rate..: 44.1kHz

http://open.qobuz.com/album/bk43x6z4wvwha

Disc 1 / 1

01. Origin Reversed!                                                1:38
02. As Everything Rupture                                           5:11
03. Plague Death                                                    6:24
04. The Vigil                                                       5:24
05. Twilight Revelation                                             1:52
06. On Stillborn Wings                                              1:48
07. Sinister Obsession                                              8:53
08. Purification and Demise                                         7:40
09. Frostland                                                       5:02

(349.79MB) 00:43:52

Far be it for me to gouge a gash into the gush of Niall H's previous
review of “The Invocation Of Demise,” so I won't, after all the praise
heaped upon it was quite justified. Now re-released so that if you missed
being trampled underfoot by horses from Valhalla the first time, you can
now suffer a bruising, after all, as they say, the hoof hurts.

As you'd expect with mythological figures from above, VALKYRJA thunder in
and it would be with all guns blazing if such things existed in Asgard.
There's nothing sheathed here, all weapons are bared, glinting with the
reflection of flames of fury as melodic riffs pile in like a cavalry
charge, often they sweep with a hint of undulation and despite the swift
momentum, they never lose mass. With the grandeur comes touches of gravel,
the beginning of “Plague Death” plays rough, chucking in some chunk before
the mainstay motif takes precedence, soaring along like a raven with a
rocket up its arse. In common with other tracks then, you get a leap from
the precipice regularly interspersed with the bone-shattering hello with a
cliff ledge before rolling off for the next submission to gravity's grip.

Whilst much of this album whips along with firestorm frenzy, some songs
merely smoulder, they may be glowing but it's the smoke that's showing,
“The Vigil” brings the tempo right down but maintains its weight, this
slow burner allows you to swing your sputtering torches above your head in
homage to beards and braids. Ending with a soulful solo that ratchets up
the emotion as it progresses, the guitar inspires the drums to pick up the
tempo for an increase in double bass patter to end the song on a high.
Amongst the barrage is a significant use of acoustic strum, which as well
as being used as a counterpoint, also acts in accompaniment to the rowdier
aspects of VALKYRJA's sound, it has to be said that the band know how to
build the moment and it's gratifying to observe that despite the more
reflective approach, there's no whiff of cheese.

One of this albums strengths is the manner in which the emphasis of guitar
and drums is equal, both unleash considerable force but rather than going
for individual bragging rights, they work together to provide a powerhouse
of pugnacious punishment. The drums give the word “pummel” some meaning as
they are fuller than Pavarotti's coffin and just as heavy, as well as the
double bass' constant tattoo, there are effective blast beats that are
used judiciously and all manner of fills and rolls and all that stuff that
hyperactive drummers do, it's all perfectly controlled though, there's a
cattle prod nearby to keep this beast behaving. In a field where it's
difficult to be distinct, the vocals have an identity that avoids having
to use histrionics to sound different. A gruff growl is used to present
the lyrics, occasionally rising to a harsh howl at the end of a line, it's
mostly no nonsense sneer, dragging some words for emphasis.

If any album could be described as “dynamic,” “The Invocation Of Demise”
would have a shiny badge declaring it best in show. This is full of
movement and event, the compositions ensure that whilst the gale prevails,
moments of calm and threats of the storm keep you with it. A suitable name
for this band then, only it might be considered cheating when they're
doing the slaying too.

ixxu!imp