The Call of the Wood

This debut from one of Italy’s most unique bands in the black metal scene never ceases to amaze me. Not only because out of the three I’ve heard (this, Sacro Culto and The Black Opera), it’s easily the best, but also because of how it stands out of the usual pattern in BM with its epic feeling. The songs are all lengthy, especially the first track, but what really gets the listener is Cadaveria’s vocals, which are completely unique and add a lot of depth to the already unmistakably atmospheric music. In that way, and in many other ways, Opera IX stands out from the stream of generic black metal acts in the mid-90s. Another thing that strikes me as original is the number of mellow, clean parts. When the tempo isn’t going down for some slow and heavy power chords, you can expect some awesome acoustic parts, often combined with a soft bass line and even a flute (!). The flute parts are beautiful and add a very special touch to the music, like everything else anyway. All these aspects make The Call of the Wood such a creative release with lots and lots of variety within it. Now, to the songs:

Alone in the Dark – Obviously the longest song with it’s 18 minutes, but you wouldn’t notice it because there are enough ideas here to make six or seven reasonably good songs. But this one is spectacular. After a very strange one-minute intro that sounds like a woman moaning, the song starts in a blast with blast beats and tremolo riffing. One can easily be fooled by this and think the rest of the music will be like that, but two more minutes later, it all stops for a piano solo. It’s pretty good, not gorgeous, but it sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album, before heading into some nice slow riffing. The keyboards often have a cool and “mysterious” sound, though not cheesy by any means. The solo that follows is quite slow, and probably nothing that’s going to blow your brains out, but it heads into a very mellow part. I don’t know who plays the flute but that combined with the arpeggios played on acoustic guitar makes a truly mesmerizing atmosphere. It goes on like this for the rest of the song: some fast parts succeeding slower parts. There is almost always a good layer of keyboards to enhance the mood of the song.
Esteban’s Promise – This song is essentially a fast one, not bad to bob your head to (though banging your head against the wall to this might be a bit, um, strange). At 2:21, there’s another pretty slow solo (yes, they CAN play fast ones too), and it fits even better with the mood of the song. After it’s over, the bass starts another riff, soon followed by the main guitar. The “chorus” section is pretty chilly, thanks to Cadaveria (Esteban’s… prooooomiiiise!). More riffs, more greatness. The last minute of the song is probably the most metal part of the album; the tempo speeds up, the drumming is more pummelling and the riffs kick more arse. Now, you can headbang.
The Call of the Wood – Wow, this is atmospheric. Cadaveria’s great vocal skills make the acoustic parts on this song really fucking special. I have never heard anything like this before. The flute once again appears and you know you’re not in your bedroom listening to Opera IX, but rather lost in the woods and there is a melody guiding you to an unknown place. That’s how I feel about this song. Or at least the first and last part of it. The middle section is more repetitive. One riff is repeated many times during a few minutes but it’s actually not bad at all. Eventually the music will calm down again for another mellow part, this time more bass-driven.
Al Azif – The fourth song is very much like Esteban’s Promise. Less slow parts, more metal parts. More riffs, too. It’s also longer, therefore better. There’s only one bad thing, Cadaveria’s vocals sadly don’t stand out as much as they did on the previous song; my ear is more inclined to follow the riffs, which are pretty badass here, when they do not utterly destroy. As always the bass is very loud in the mix, something not so common among black metal bands. But, like the riffs, it’s so good it would be pretty damn stupid to complain about such a thing, especially for those who are so fucking grim and necro that they cannot stand good production like this. One thing I must say, though, that I don’t like about this song, the keyboards are sometimes a bit annoying. I wouldn’t have minded less of them. But no big harm done, it’s still a great song.
Sepulcro – Probably the most atmospheric song on The Call of the Wood, Sepulcro starts out softly with the acoustic guitar. After a few chords, the synth and bass are added to make a sort of dark intro, probably evoking an esoteric ritual of some sort. The result is a bit cheesy, with the keyboards sounding too much like they were meant to be played at the black mass or something, but damn, the atmosphere is there. It goes on like this for a few minutes, with eventually the electric guitar and drums joining only to enhance this ambiance. The second half of the song is not too different; you only see that song progressing towards its inevitable end, once again with a mix of intense parts and quieter parts. It’s probably my second favourite track.

If you’ve been reading all this, you’ve probably realized this is a very special release of atmospheric metal. I understand if it’s not pure grim black metal from the very first second to the last, but that won’t stop The Call of the Wood from being a great, creative and unique piece of music. Go buy it if that appeals to you.