The Gale/Solar Vale

Ok, note to the reader, before I start I want you to know that this is perfectly captivating music well worthy of over 90%, the only reason it isn't is because it's a promotional single and isn't a full length of such splendorous music.

Well, 'The Gale' might just be Gunehyvar's best song yet. Tons of different sections, lots of fantastic riffing, stellar solo work, a much better mix than on the first demo (including a better mix vocalwise) and in general just a very beautiful atmosphere. The musicianship is excellent and the songwriting, as stated, is top notch. Considering these guys are only on their second demo they're way ahead of the level of talent and skillful composition they should be at. An album full of songs of this style could easily be considered a masterpiece.

'The Solar Vale' is a reworking of a classic from the first demo, probably the best track on there. It's pretty much the same song but fully rerecorded. The harsh vocals sound much improved, and the production really brings out the melody (unlike the production on the first demo, which was passable but did the band no favours). The clean vocals work much better here too, I guess it was just the mix bringing them down before.

I'd normally just mail a band for a free copy of a full length to review if I was interested in it, but in the case of Guenhyvar I'm definately gonna just go ahead and buy their full length when it's released. Excellent demo, excellent music, excellent band.

I never noticed that the original version of 'Solar Vale' was off time. I still don't notice it. Maybe I'm mildly retarded.

This two track demo is, as you could likely guess from the title, a showcasing of one new track, 'The Gale', and a rerecording of 'Solar Vale', as the previous version apparently sounded very off time due to the drums being recorded after all other tracks. Last things first: the rerecording of 'Solar Vale' sounds utterly awesome. A slight improvement in production has done wonders, with a richer guitar tone and more clearly defined riffs. The song, of course, is fantastic regardless of timing or production, overflowing the melody, variation, and great and ambitious structuring. I think it says something that Guenhyvar has never released a song under eight minutes in length: they need that much time to carefully pick through the truckload of ideas that each song has. It's packed to the brim with shifts in mood, tempo, rhythm, and instrumentation, and never gets boring at any point. 'Solar Vale' is a truly great track; possibly the best off the 'Gall' demo, and it's great to see it kicked up a notch with this release.

The obvious central point here, though, is 'The Gale'. The new track is a very different entity from the material on the 'Gall' demo, though it is clearly still part of Guenhyvar's clearly defined style. More aggressive, even somewhat thrashy, and certainly darker than the previous material, 'The Gale' approaches the band's style from a less clearly melodic and folk influenced angle, instead going for somewhat more dissonant, layered riffing with frequent rhythmic shifts, and an overall delivery that fits its title very well. It's not nearly as uplifting as Guenhyvar's other works, which might turn some off, but I find it an enjoyable change of pace with the otherwise 'happy' music they generally write. But, as I said, it's still recognizably Guenhyvar: great riffs, full of emotion, lots of viking-style rhythms, and a general sense of cohesion and talented songwriting.

I'd consider this more as a teaser to future releases than a demo of its own; after all, there's only two tracks, and while they're lengthy, it's still somewhat thin on material. I prefer to have a little bit of great music than a lot of mediocre shit, however, and Guenyhvar have once again not disappointed with their specialized form of progressive death metal. I have little doubt that every demo these guys put out, and indeed, every release, is going to be a winner. Definitely worthwhile to pick up if you already own the 'Gall' demo; if not, get that one, and acquire this as a followup. Both releases refuse to disappoint.