GREYABLAZE - GreyAblaze

GreyAblaze - GreyAblaze (2016, Ashen Dominion)

Lately, a plethora of Black Metal bands have been coming out of Russia and Ukraine because let’s face it, Slavonics and Scandinavians share a near North Pole geographic location. Also in high numbers, the quantity of Post-Black Metal acts that are growing like mushrooms on this old cheese you’ve got in the back of your fridge. So, to be considered interesting those bands need to get their A game to get their head out of the bunch.

With five songs titled from ‘’I’’ to ‘’V’’, GreyAblaze formed of members of Kzohh, Elderblood, Khors, and Ulvegr, are in the likes of Batushka and Mgla but more in the Blackgaze spirit of BM than in the likes of the two Polish acts. GreyAblaze is a coherent piece of music that is embricked together tightly with a keen unity and a melancholic feeling that comes and goes all along its length.

Long songs of over five minutes for the shortest and almost ten for the longest are to expect from this tremolo picking driven record of swooping rhythm guitars and few keyboards for the moods. The drums are repetitive and almost monotonous in their perfection of supporting the music and not taking the center stage.

GreyAblaze is a block that has almost nothing negative to say about since it is well played and well executed in its genre. However, it is almost too polished or too middle of the road Post-Black Metal. With Wolves In The Throne Room and their masterpiece Two Hunters, the band was doing something refreshing and creating a room for themselves.

GreyAblaze is a record that has no faults and respects the said genre. However, it doesn’t have this extra layer of enjoyment that a true distinct and strong record has. It feels like textbook Post-Black Metal and the vast offer of the genre this year might have lessen the impact of this release. Everything’s there but it was not enough for me to actually be engaged with the music.

6.0