Kveldulv

So far in the Branikald series, we've seen the band try out many different styles, from the melodic atmospheres of Varg fjerne a tornet and Vinterkald to the depressive emotions of Рдяндалир. However, on their fourth album "Kveldulv", the band goes for a different direction that not many people had predicted. The raw harshness of the early demos have actually returned in this one, and this time, they're not gonna be holding back anything.

What do I mean by this? Well, let's look at the first track "Key to Andkosm". The song begins with a raw guitar that plays an aggressive and hateful riff before the drums kick in with its repetitive blastbeats. One thing to note that in this track and the next one "...Ablaze far av Nattensky", there is a bit of an uncanny similarity to Stormheit in terms of sound, as the raw guitars and chaotic drumming seems to have moved over to here. However, what makes this album stand out is the atmosphere. The atmosphere is very chaotic and extreme, but at the same time, there is a bit of melody in there, and the landscapes the riffs paint is a shaky, but rewarding one. This is only expanded on in the third track "Kalde Vinter of Ruin", which has rawer and worse production, but in exchange, has some of the best atmospheric riffs in the bands discography. The droning guitars work amazingly with the drumming, and some of the more melodic riffs it occasionally plays give the landscape a more wintry one. And that's not even including the last track "Kosmhall", which has a beautiful clean guitar that immerses the listener into a starry sky in the wintry forest. Not many other black metal albums are able to combine raw black metal with atmospheric black metal on this level, and Kveldulv have basically mastered this perfectly.

And that's not even getting into the vocals. If you thought Kaldrad's vocals in Рдяндалир were agonized, then here, he takes them to another extreme. Unlike the agonized pain he went through, he goes through a furious tone, which makes his shrieks sound angrier and filled with rage. This is especially the case in "...Ablaze far av Nattensky", where his screams flow well with the fast-paced guitars. And on the third track, his shrieks feel more painful, but still filled with hatred, almost as if he's destroying everything in sight. The vocals not only further enhance the extreme rawness of the riffs, but also further emphasize the chaos within the atmosphere.

Of all the Branikald album I've checked out, Kveldulv remains the best in terms of a fiery atmosphere. Whether it be the raw and extreme riffs, the irate vocals, or even the calming clean guitar in the last track, this album remains a pinnacle in Branikald's discography, and is an album you have to check out if you're planning on entering the stormy blizzard that is Russian black metal.