Twilight of Blood and Flesh

Valkenrag are a Polish death metal band functioning on the same wavelength as Amon Amarth, delivering swarming lower-register tremolo riffing ensconced within monolithic, epic sounding arrangements and a reasonably balanced attack between overt melodicism and surging riff bravado. For those anticipating the Amon Amarth comparison in detail, I am pleased to state that Twilight of Blood and Flesh is something of a throwback. To my ears, this sounds like a cross-pollination between The Crusher and Versus the World. This means that the anfractuous blitz of the guitars retains just enough of that earlier murkiness to push the atmosphere in a different direction. The songwriting is also less focused, and at times somewhat avoidant.

That all said, Valkenrag also paint a target on their collective back by falling prey to many of the same pitfalls as their superior Swedish brothers. The riffs have a tendency to lapse in and out of efficacy, drifting into irrelevance or blindly locking into the rhythm. That said, the band deserves some credit for accurately nailing the required aesthetic. Droning, morose melodies signify the narrative on "The Price of Wisdom," which reminds me of "Cry of the Black Birds" from With Oden on Our Side. These guys also have the bright idea of tasteful keyboard implementation, which thickens the sound immensely without sullying the final vision. "Wild Hunt" offers up a dark, brooding haunt of an opening riff that segues into more proper rollicking shortly afterward, and "Halls of the Brave" busts down the gates with tense, imposing lethality. At their best, Valkenrag can easily hang with their influences, offering up riffs that hail back to mid-period classics like "Masters of War."

Deficiencies do remain, however. Whenever the band breaks into a staggered blast beat (evident during many sections of "Belongings of Thor"), something is clearly lost as it feels like space-filler. These guys are better at a slower pace, building their sludgy tremolos into ebbs and flows of energy worthy of the gods they pay homage to. I enjoyed the sporadic inclusion of the flute on "Bolthorn" and the subtlety involved. The title track also stands marginally above the pack, what with that Nile-esque opening. Elsewhere, the band loses focus when accentuating the slower staccato too strongly. Just look to sections for "Redemption Time" for these faults, although the band saves face somewhat during the second half of the song.

Twilight of Blood and Flesh is a big-sounding record as well, albeit not quite as full-bodied as it could have been. The drums don't carry enough low end, neutering some of the intended impact. Like mentioned above, the guitars have that murky aesthetic in spades, and sound straight out of early Amon Amarth. Bartek Leszek's war cries are just as much a death growl as Hegg, but slightly less intelligible. Overall I think Valkenrag achieved their goal with the record, and despite blurring together a bit at times, the material is powerful and somewhat memorable. I definitely recommend this, but it certainly isn't breaking the mold in any capacity.