Sometimes I’m left twitching by how little attention particular albums get. Maybe they were poorly distributed, maybe they didn’t get much promotion, or maybe everyone else just thought they sucked. But good ol’ Voidhanger caught on to them and liked them, so he’s going to trudge up the past and occasionally review old albums out of the blue. It’s a form of maintenance; they begin to smell funny if they don’t see the light of day once in a while. With that, I’m going to talk about Kinstrife & Blood, an Australian atmospheric black metal band who released a single album, “On Paths Long Forgotten…” in 2006 on GoatowaRex. It was commonly considered a Summoning clone, and that’s generally true; everything here emulates their symphonic, mid-paced black metal, and Kinstrife & Blood capture a similar ancient fantasy atmosphere. That shouldn’t be seen as a detriment, but rather a compliment to Kinstrife & Blood; Summoning sets a very high bar and there is no reason why a Summoning fan would want to skip this album. It scratches that itch perfectly.

“On Paths Long Forgotten…” is a subdued, oneiric affair that may not reach the epic heights of other albums in the same vein, but instead has a very withdrawn sound, fraught with melancholy and resounding with the sorrow of defeat. After a brief intro, “The Bronze Army” starts with a horn-like, marching synth. The drumming is programmed, with the crisp cymbals echoing beautifully in the perfect digital silence behind it all. The trebly guitars and synth compete for your attention, both defining memorable passages. Three-quarters in, sounds of feet shuffling in unison can be heard, and the song then moves smoothly into a subtly triumphant epilogue. The second track and highlight of the album, “Grey Lands,” is a meandering, lonely tune. The guitars are brought to the forefront with beautiful melodies, while the synth plucks away dreamily in the background.

“As the Hawk Flies Over Embattled Waters” again highlights the guitars with long, wandering passages. Closing things off, “The Walking Dead Amongst the Fog” features harp-like sounds lurking behind long, drawn-out guitar notes. They’re then pushed into the background, as the song moves to a steady, mid-paced beat and for the first time really allow Balam’s rasping vocals to come through as the main focus of the music. Before long, it returns to the atmospheric opening of the song and fades into silence.

Alright, let’s cut the crap and go full nerd here; if Summoning is “The Lord of the Rings,” then Kinstrife & Blood is its appendices; hazy glimpses into fragmented stories that never had the fortune of being scrawled down. “On Paths Long Forgotten…” is akin to listening to something that was lost in time and never meant to be heard again, like the mournful tune a warrior whistled to himself as he went off to battle, never to return.

Unfortunately, it seems that Kinstrife & Blood is no more, but some material that was originally intended for a second album snuck its way into Drowning the Light’s “From the Abyss,” so that might also be worth checking out if “On Paths Long Forgotten…” is up your alley.

Written for http://www.drunkinagraveyard.com

Summoning is one of my favorite bands of all time. Not only that, they have definitely influenced numerous bands within the atmospheric/epic style of black metal and will continue to do so for decades. Because of their influence, there have been a lot of bands that nearly copy their sound. Kinstrife & Blood is probably the best, most accurate example of this. Hailing from Australia, this solo project from Balam, who has worked with Drowning the Light and is that band's current drummer. This album literally sounds like it could have been released by Summoning and no one would have batted an eye.

One thing that does sound a bit different than Summoning is the album's guitar prominence. The keyboards are obviously still there but the guitars are far louder than Summoning usually allows them to be, with some exceptions of course. Although they sound different in terms of volume, the tone and atmosphere of the guitars is nearly identical to Summoning. There are definitely a lot of beautiful melodies and riffs here. "As Hawk Flies over Embattled Waters" contains some of the most beautiful tremolo melodies within the entire album that begins around 3:15. This song is an example of prominent guitars with the keyboards being lower in the mix, but very audible, creating a wall of atmosphere in the background as the guitars dance around in a melodic manner. Really, all of these songs contain beautiful key segments, such as the beginning to "The Walking Dead Amongst the Fog". But the guitar always comes in and takes its place as the main instrument.

The drum machine is DEFINITELY a Summoning trait. The drums are programmed with a lot of reverb. Since "Minas Morgul", Summoning has done this over using a real drum kit. This creates a heroic, epic atmosphere to the already atmospheric music. Unfortunately, this sounds like Balam was doing little more than ripping off Summoning in this aspect. The drums sound exactly the same as Summoning, from the sound down to the drum patterns themselves. Even other bands that are often seen as rip-offs such as Caladan Brood use variation in the sound of the drums.

If you're a fan of Summoning and aren't bothered by hearing other bands that are obviously tribute acts, Kinstrife & Blood would be right up your alley. Hell, even the album's title and the titles of some of these songs seem to be taken right out of Summoning's handbook. The album is only 33 minutes long, so really, it wouldn't take long to listen to and is still a decent listen worth anyone's time.

As stated in the band's summary, Kinstrife & Blood (KnB) have been heavily influenced by the Austrian combo Summoning. I have been a big fan of Summoning since the "Lugburz" album back in the days. Although I had a hard time adjusting from the raw black metal to the more melodic and trance-y style I have learned to love it. Since it is great to relax to this kind of tunes I have been looking for either more Summoning material or something similar.

But back to the actual album. KnB did a good job trying to capture Summoning's unique atmosphere. Instead of using Tolkien as basis for their lyrics KnB seem to be more influenced by Celtic or Northern history. Musically I would place this album close to Summoning's EP "Nightshade Forests". KnB utilize the right amount of keyboards to not overpower the guitars and drums, and their use of nature sounds and other samples is good.

However, I cannot help myself thinking that this album is more like a "Chinese Summoning clone" than anything original. Or maybe something like a "tribute album". It sounds good but it lacks the depth and power of Summoning's work. I enjoy listening to it but I cannot get immersed in the monotonous drums, never-ending guitar riffs and atmospheric keyboards as much as I hoped for. It feels too "thin" almost like diluted [light] beer; it can be good but it's just not the "real deal".

Bottom line is, I would love to hear more from KnB since they have had a long time to mature and improve their style. I am hopeful for more despite their current "on hold" status.

It takes nothing beyond a glance at this album's title to develop a connection to the Austrian band Summoning, since they had the epic song "Long Lost to Where No Pathway Goes" on their 1999 album Stronghold. In truth, Kinstrife & Blood feels like little more than an Australian tribute to that band, and not a necessary one, because the sound is just too similar that I can't argue with anyone calling it a cheap knockoff. About the only reason one might listen to this album is if he or she feels such an affection for the works of Silenius and Protector that their (of late scarce) output is simply not enough to sate the longing for epic vistas of glory and sadness wrought with keyboards, tiny streams of melancholic black metal guitars, rasped vocals and cheap drum programming.

Even in such a case, there are better alternatives, like the Croatian band Mischosen who take the Summoning influence and channel it into something more innovative. This is unfortunate, as there are positive qualities to Kinstrife & Blood, if only skin deep. The logo and cover art here are wonderful, promising a natural mysticism and acknowledgment of the life/death cycle. Balam is normally a talented individual, vocalist for the amazing Australian black super-group Nazxul, also involved with Pestilential Shadows and Rift. To his credit, he does a fairly apt impersonation of the Austrians, channeling the same morose through steady repetition and slowly shifting rhythmic patterns, but it never quite summits that hurdle of cheapness that soils the spirit when you know the band you are listening to is simply biting off a forebear, a little too much.

"On Paths Long Forgotten..." itself is but a minute length teaser/march that heralds one of the four primary compositions, ranging from 7-10 minutes in length. "The Bronze Army" uses wet and synthesized horns and slowly arching, longing guitar lines to create an acceptable epic for battle, but the thrills run out after only a few minutes, since not a single shift in the song comes close to the opening rhythm, and you could randomly play any track from Stronghold or Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame and become more immersed. In title alone, "Grey Lands" seems to channel a Summoning Influence ("Grey Heavens", "The Passing of the Grey Company"), and once again we feel that Kinstrife & Blood simply feels hollow. The situational and compositional awareness that is carefully built with each Summoning track is void here into the bare minimum of effort, a minimalist approach that shares the same spirit, but not the same ultimate effect.

"As Hawk Flies Over Embattled Waters" is nearly 10 minutes long, and of all the tracks On Paths Long Forgotten... it is the most engrossing, simply due to the repetition working itself upon the psyche, and "The Walking Dead Amongst the Fog" does have a suitable slow chug to its guitars which mirrors the subject matter, but these bits feel too late to really save the album from its lapse 'been there before' vibes, and there is simply nothing here to recommend over anything the Austrians have ever released. Considering that the flawless and iconic Oath Bound was released this very same year, there is no purpose in choosing the student over the master, and Kinstrife & Blood very soon sinks to obscurity. Perhaps Balam will one day revisit this work and create a tangent to its influence rather than a cloning process, but he's busy with far better projects than this, so I will not hold my breath.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Made with Summoning in mind? I think so. This record surprised me greatly. Not only does it sound the opposite of what I expected, it sounds like a mixture of ‘Lugburz’ and ‘Stronghold’ eras, which were fairly similar anyway. I know little of the band Kinstrife & Blood other than what I know about the associated bands Austere and Pestilential Shadows. Then again, I haven’t listened to either of those bands in a long time and didn’t particularly like what had become of Pestilential Shadows on their sophomore effort, which neglected the old lo-fi sound which had a devastating personality intent on causing the listener to want to commit suicide given its downbeat emotional strains. Austere appealed to me almost immediately, though I must admit I neglect them too, but not through choice, just habit. I tend to overlook the Australian scene a lot, actually. When I came across Drowning The Light, I lost my appetite for Australian black metal since it was so disgustingly dull. However, for the purpose of hitting on more virgins, the challenge set down by the moderators for us slaves, the reviewers meant that neglecting this scene and casting a shadow over it was no longer possible. When it comes to Kinstrife & Blood, I’m sitting on the fence. Perched nicely underneath the sun, sipping my whiskey on the rocks and indulging in a spot of afternoon metal. This is more relaxing than anything. I want to take it seriously as a atmospheric black metal record, but cannot manage to do so.

‘On Paths Long Forgotten’, the debut by this band, is apt in terms of expressing the recognition this record gets, or lack there of. This has been set aside, over cast and moved into the black shadows never to be seen again, but here I am to shed some light on the problematic system that comes along with judging associated bands before you’ve heard them for yourself. As a fan of the musicians who make up this band, Balam and Desolate (though only in moderation), I find myself looking into all of their projects, no matter what sub-genre they fall into. This particular band, Kinstrife & Blood happen to fall into the epic black metal scene, which has seemingly been established solely to house bands that use Tolkien themes, like this band. There is also an atmospheric tag applied to the bands music and it is justified. Seeing as I’ve already stated that this band remind me heavily of Summoning, you can probably already understand why they’ve been tagged as such and why I’m backing up the statements laid down by others and perhaps the band members themselves. This style isn’t as accessible as you’d imagine. In comparison to some of Balam and Desolate’s other bands it is accessible, but that doesn‘t indicate much. This band are perhaps the most experimental side of the musicians coming out, or simply them showcasing what inspires them the most. Tolkien, perhaps? Its unclear whether this record is based on fantasy literature, or bands who sing about fantasy subjects. I suppose the issue is deemed redundant since the sound can be a little clichéd at times and rather synthetic. Almost copycat like. There’s even a feel of Burzum’s ambient material in the soundscapes. ‘The Walking Dead Amongst The Fog’ has an introduction that would fit nicely into the Burzum ambient material sound.

Bands such as Pestilential Shadows, who’s debut was a lo-fi affair and Desolate’s associated band Funeral Mourning, who have received some criticism on this particular site. Both musicians actually have ties to the more established bands, one’s like Naxzul who have a strong fan base within Australia and worldwide, as far as I know. When one of their musicians passed away recently, that being the talented Greg Morelli, the response was heart warming and touching. His death obviously affected a large amount of people, signifying the fact that Naxzul were well thought of, as were their musicians. The fact that these two musicians have created, or took part in bands who have reputations most could only dream of is suggestive of their individual talents and how great they are, that leads to some confusion, unfortunately as both musicians have controlled bands that have been lacklustre and poorly thought of. I suppose the expression is true, you can’t win them all. These two certainly know that and have attempted to regain the flame of glory by playing this Lord of the Rings themed music. Listening to this can be equated to reading the Tolkien classics, which I haven’t actually done. Though I have read The Hobbit and happened to think is was incredibly dull (Tolkien has a habit of analysing in too much detail, blabbing on about the same thing, in great depth, for far too long).

This band, like Tolkien, use vivid soundscapes to conjure images of Middle Earth, epic battles and creatures from out of this world. Their fantasy based lyrical themes need not exist because the instrumentation, with its consistent and ever present keyboards manages to muster up the intoxicating fantasy feel alone. Much like Summoning, once again, Balam uses keyboards and programming to express the deep and inspirational themes that Kinstrife & Blood revolve heavily around. Themes of long and enduring battle scenes, whereby creatures of the night are pitted against the courageous elves, whom are accompanied by the every day man, who’s likely to end up saving the day and proving how great humanity really is. Shame its just a dream. When I initially discovered this band, I believe they were merely tagged as black metal. I didn’t take much of an in depth look into their background because I was aware of the bands these two have created and thought this would be along the lines of Austere, or even Pestilential Shadows. Another depressive black metal band, if you will. You know what they say, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups and I fucked up. This band are more pleasant than anything with their slowly entrancing instrumentation that perhaps relies too heavily on the keyboards to maintain the soundscapes like a pair of garden sheers, ready to cut out the pieces we no longer need, or want to look at. Balam and Desolate have done just that - left sections of other bands they’re in that were unloved and weeded out by the fans for criticism on the sidelines, looking on with envious eyes at this majestic piece. Whilst I can see the appeal of this record, I cannot find myself liking it on the same level as Summoning lovers who will probably do so.