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Package deals to middle earth - 45%
we hope you die, March 4th, 2020
Metal’s relationship with Tolkien has a long and proud history. The more ambitious offerings from the likes of Cirith Ungol from the 1980s created the perfect backdrop for lyrics that to drew from sword and sorcery novels for inspiration. Although thrash and death metal tended to more violent, base themes; black metal, with its yearning for an imagined past, its reverence for nature, and an infatuation with mysticism, all meant that the Tolkien boot seemed tailor made for this foot. But setting aside the clutch of bands that drew their names and lyrics from the works of Tolkien, things really came to a head with Summoning. Their gradually evolving sound was defined by a very idiosyncratic (and distinctively synthetic) approach to repeated folk melodies, layering of simple refrains, slower but purposeful tempos, and positioning the keyboards as the melodic centre of the music, with guitars merely providing texture. Despite their career being one of the seven wonders of the black metal world, it is a fairly limited approach to Tolkienist metal, from both a musical and an aesthetic perspective. It seems bizarre then that some would take Summoning’s musical limitations to heart rather than their philosophy, and ape off them in a way that seems to exacerbate their weakest attributes.
Sojourner are another fantasy black metal project that has sprung up in the last few years, made up of members gathered from many lands. Their first LP ‘Empires of Ash’ released in 2016 can only loosely be linked to black metal, and that’s largely down to the vocal style. Yes, there’s plenty of blast-beats and tremolo picked riffage going on, but the guitar leads that dominate most of the full-on metal passages of this album are more akin to juiced up power metal with the over blown solos stripped back. Much of the interaction between the rhythm guitars and drums follows a very post-2000 heavy rock framework, largely informed by emo if anything. It’s all buried in a wash of compression and chorus which morphs the music into a homogeneous blob of sentiment and aesthetics, burying whatever compositions there were beneath layers of candyfloss.
Operatic/symphonic metal is the other major undercurrent in this music. Whilst it is possible to get a good album out of this genre every once in a while, it tends to be overly stylised, bent on showcasing every talent of the musicians and their writing/arranging abilities at the expense of intelligent music. Sojourner are hardly the worst offenders in this regard, but there is a sense in which it has hamstrung them some. Where this album really shines is in the intros and interludes. There are some decent (if unoriginal) folk melodies, some nifty layered keyboards and haunting vocals, but these ideas are forced through the aforementioned rock blender of chugging guitars, and further washed out by layer upon layer of sounds that follow the same pattern to compensate for lack of direction. The latent idea is now buried beneath an undeserved crescendo or finale that is typical of the contrived sense of the epic that symphonic metal so often falls into.
With a more nuanced mix they would have space to better layer their melodies, and hang the music upon this as a way to engage the listener. Instead we are left with individual ideas separated by a wash of meaningless dirge that feels like the musical equivalent of a twelve year old’s fan fiction of The Lord of the Rings. It requires a mind more disciplined to draw what good ideas are here into a more sophisticated work of epic metal.
Originally published at Hate Meditations
Summoning Scotland - 75%
Funny how trends come and go in cycles. Back in the late 80's/early 90's, it was really common for new bands to spring up out of nowhere and revel in blatant worship of some other band whose music they had spent a few months listening to over and over until their dubbed cassette wore itself out. As the emerging branches of the metal tree started to emerge and really establish themselves, the tendency for bands to attempt to sound exactly like their idols sort of died out, people instead choose either to incorporate a variety of influences into the confines of their genre, use a set of influences as a base which would get added to in their own particular idioms, or more recently, create throwback sounds that incorporate disparate retro elements to make old new again. But even more recently, it seems like making music in the mode of one particular main influence has come back into vogue in some small way.
Sojourner are, without a shred of doubt in my mind, overt worship of the brand of highlands black metal played by Andy Marshall in his various projects (Askival, Arsaidh, Saor) split evenly with the medieval synth-rich sounds of Summoning (and bands directly inspired by them). Dense thickets of riffing provide the meat while a tin whistle serves as the melodic lead. Propulsive drumming (unfortunately hampered by a really artificial sounding drum production, likely an electronic kit), tasteful, rich yet subtle synth and piano additions and reverb-heavy vocals on the lower end of the black metal voice spectrum round things out. The Summoning influence comes in even thicker in the parts where drummer Mike Lamb drops back from the more brisk black metal beats and opts for martial tom pounding. Emilio Crespo's vocals actually take on quite a bit of Summoning character throughout the album, utilizing a similar kind of goblin barking approach. Multi-instrumentalist Chloe Bray also contributes some airy, folky, forest nymph clean vocals that help to break up a bit of the monotony of Crespo's halted rasping.
All of the elements for something really solid are there (well, perhaps apart from that unfortunate drum production). The presentation is right on point, and the band have successfully conveyed their passion for playing in the Arsaidh/Saor mode while incorporating heavy Summoning influences into their sound. So...how is it? Well, the peripheral stuff is very good. The interludes are spot on, the flute melodies mournful and dripping with soul, the intro and outro bits really potent (my favorite bit probably being the lengthy intro to "Homeward"), but once the band really starts getting into the meat of the songs, it comes up just a bit short. I think the main fault here is simply the clash between the two realms of influence on this album. On one hand, the Arsaidh/Saor-ish parts demand interesting riffing patterns to serve as the backbone of the music while the flute swirls off through the forest canopy, but on the other hand the Summoning side doesn't really work without really dense, layered synth melodies. Sojourner come up a bit short in that they've neither got the riffing chops to do the Saor-side justice, nor the space in their mix (due to the guitar-centric songwriting and production) to layer in those thick synths to do the Summoning side right.
The net effect is that the majority of these songs' run time is made up of fairly dull material. Apart from the intros and interludes already mentioned, the stand-out bits are the sections where the band pushes a bit harder toward either one of their camps of influence rather than keeping that apparently dull middle ground in focus. The early parts of "Trails of the Earth" has the guitar muscle to carry itself without needing synth support at all (but later gets averaged back to dullness for the verse sections, when synths fill up the empty space), while "Heritage of the Natural Realm" pulls the guitars back a bit and heaps on more synths really effectively. Fortunately, the tin whistle basically always sounds good, so even while uninteresting songs are happening around it, it's at least nice to listen to. That's sort of the case with the album as a whole, really; while a whole lot of it slowly shuffles by without much to either hold a sharp focus or induce any sort of emotional euphoric state, it never even come close to approaching outright *bad*. Indeed, there's basically always at least one thing happening at any given time that's worth listening to, and there are frequent enough really strong stretches to go a good ways toward making up for the dull bits.
While I can't muster the same sort of enthusiasm for this as I have for Saor themselves or something like Caladan Brood, I do think those of you who are suckers for the bands that Sojourner are influenced by would enjoy this at least enough for it to be worth your time. They do have an interesting approach, to, even if the even 50/50 split didn't quite work out this time around. Maybe next time they'll find a better balance.
A History of a Time to Come - 95%
Written based on this version: 2016, Digital, Avantgarde Music (Bandcamp)
Starring at the album cover that graces the front of Sojourner’s new debut album ‘Empires of Ash’ one cannot help but think of times long ago, a time when great castles pierced the sky, epic battles commenced across great fields and vast woodlands, green in nature only turned red with death and all this dwarfed by mountainous valleys as far as one can see. Exciting sounding, yes? Well I am pleased to say the music is a perfect theme and a true reflection of the beautiful cover art the band have chosen to use.
Coming to life only in 2015 Sojourner wasted no time in dropping a teaser track, namely ‘Heritage of the Natural Realm’ which appeared last May, not long after the bands creation. This single sparked a lot of interest in the underground and garnered the attention of the wonderful Avantgarde Music, a label that hosts an army of excellent bands and showing no signs of slowing down.
The band themselves hail from New Zealand and Sweden, though two of the members are based in Scotland at present, such wonderful back drops for a band to write this style of music to. The album begins with a gentle wind blowing carrying some beautiful tin whistle melodies across the glades only to be shattered by the incoming blackened attack. A powerful delivery commences as ‘Bound by Blood’ rumbles forth, a fast and hard hitting opener which features a guitar and tin whistle melody, infectious and mournful in nature, something the band use to great effect throughout the album. ‘Aeons of Valor’ and ‘Homeward’ are my two personal favourite tracks and if you enjoy the likes of Summoning, Caladan Brood, Gallowbraid etc you are in for a treat. Epic and triumphant in nature but not letting go to that feeling of sadness that is present throughout the album and used to great effect.
Chloe Bray is a real asset to the band and adds a certain amount of emotion with her soothing delivery. Take for example ‘The Pale Host’ which is perfectly placed to give the album a steady flow. Her vocals are really ethereal and beautiful sounding reminding one again of those times of yore, think of those slow moving scenes in a movie like Braveheart and you will get the picture. Not to mention her tin whistle playing which is equally as beautiful, weaving in and out of the tracks, adding a fresh take on the mournful melodies I mentioned earlier, similar as to what Andy Marshall does in Saor. If that was not enough she also plays the guitars and accounts for approximately half the music on the album! Now that is impressive, both her and Mike are quite a talented duo.
Emilio’s rasped vocals blend perfectly, his snarl quite decipherable for those that like to follow the lyrics. The two Mikes provide a very solid rhythm section with Mike Lamb playing drums and guitars at impressive level, normally more at home in the doom genre with this being his first dabble in the epic realms. Production is perfect allowing all instruments to shine with keyboards present to boost the atmosphere, coming and going when required.
These guys have created a fantastic debut, one which really took me by surprise and contains many of the elements I adore in the genre while at the same time keeping their music fresh and exciting. While today these great castles lye old, decrepit and ruined, bands such as these can really make them breathe again crafting visions of an era long dead. I can safely say Sojourner are the latest armor clad warrior to take a seat at the round table and have released an exceptional album that will serve them very well indeed.
Orginally written for The Somber Lane blog site.
A Triumphant Return - 90%
Written based on this version: 2018, Digital, Avantgarde Music (Bandcamp)
It’s safe to say that, as soon as it was announced, Sojourner’s sophomore album ’The Shadowed Road’ instantly became my most anticipated album of the year so far. When I first heard their debut album, ‘Empires of Ash’, I’d never heard anything of the sort before, and was entranced and blown away beyond all expectation. Having listened to that album so much, and having now familiarised myself with the atmospheric black metal scene, I certainly had certain sky high and subjective expectations going into this new album, so I’m perhaps not as objective as I should be.
With production by Øystein Garnes Brun (Borknagar) and Dan Swanö (yeah, that Dan Swanö), there is very little to fault. As is best with melodic music, the vocals are prominent and intelligible, the guitars have a rich tone - the lead tone in particular stands out as one of the finest I’ve heard in recent memory, and I’m not even a guitar nut - and everything is balanced fantastically. There are certainly occasions when there’s a lot going on; for example, the middle section of closer “The Shadowed Road” features twin guitar melodies, twin vocal harmonies and a flute. Whilst this is the closest the mix gets to being muddy, it’s by no means badly done, and every instrument retains its own space to shine.
Enough preamble; what about the music itself? With high expectations, I dived into the first half of the album and came away a little… underwhelmed? Opener “Winter’s Slumber” showcases some vintage Sojourner, with a piano-led intro, tin whistle melodies and sliding leads before hitting you with a driving harsh verse. It’s a solid track, but doesn’t exactly showcase enough variety to justify the 7.30 runtime. “Titan” and “Ode to the Sovereign”, the second and third tracks, tread a similar path, seemingly staying within the territory that “Empires of Ash” carved out for itself. Indeed, the second half of the latter track feels like a continuation of “Homeward” from the first album, down to the chord sequence and instrumental combinations.
However, at this point in the experience, I don’t feel dissatisfied. Whilst all three tracks could easily have fit onto ‘Empires’, there’s a palpable sense of something new about each of them, hinting that Sojourner have some surprises up their sleeve, and enough to make it comfortably feel like this is the right album for Sojourner to be releasing after ‘Empires’. Vocalist Emilio Crespo frequently showcases a much improved vocal range on all three tracks, and the folk often leans towards a more melodeath feel than black. Furthermore, after remaining relatively standard stompy folk tune for much of its runtime, “Titan” ends with a jaw-dropping melodeath climax - nevertheless, it begs the question as to why the riff wasn’t incorporated earlier in the song though.
However, Sojourner have only just begun to showcase their potential. “An Oath Sworn in Sorrow” begins unassumingly, with the first two minutes seeming almost like a slower Omnium Gatherum song with lady vocals. This welcome change of pace develops well through the song, culminating with a fantastic climax featuring twin guitars; and the album goes to strength to strength from here. “Our Bones Among the Ruins” starts as an in-your-face full blown folk melodeath song, developing excellently towards a piano break in the last third - the song’s climax is more in line with classic Sojourner, but it feels refreshing due to its place in a well constructed song. It doesn’t hurt that the vocals are the best so far on the album either.
The two last tracks, “Where Lost Hope Lies” and “The Shadowed Road” both opt for intriguing openings, but take very different directions from there. “Where Lost Hope Lies” has some rhythmic similarities to “Aeons of Valor”, but plays heavily upon a heavy melodic death/doom vibe to create one of the most epic songs on the record. “The Shadowed Road” really is the standout track. The intro features Chloe Bray’s clean vocals in a vulnerable, ethereal manner, and this is undoubtedly the environment in which her voice is best suited. In some of the heavier passages, her voice isn’t powerful enough to cut through and occasionally feels thin, suffering from occasional pitching issues, but when stripped down in this bare, emotional intro, her voice shines and pulls you into Middle-Ear... uh, the song. Like “Ode to the Sovereign”, this song uses that same chord sequence from “Homeward”, yet the originality and ingenuity here, not to mention the power and melodeath influences, create a significantly more interesting result. The song drops back into ethereal territory in the second half, before hitting you with the jauntiest change of pace I’ve ever heard in an atmospheric album - thus ending the album in the highest possible spirits.
After repeated listens, I realised that my initial confusion after the first half of the album was through my thinking I wanted more ‘Empires’, but finding myself preferring the hints at a new direction. Those first tracks certainly grow on the listener when understood in the context of the album’s direction as a whole, although the second half remains the stronger section. It’ll be interesting to see where Sojourner go after this one. The band has progressed to a point where they’re clearly at their best when they apply their folk sensibilities to a meld of genres that doesn’t include the black metal of their origins; indeed, the weakest parts of the album are where they attempt to replicate ‘Empires of Ash’. Whilst many bands get criticised for leaving their roots behind, I fully hope Sojourner throw themselves at this new direction - I can’t think of any other bands that have produced something with the genre-blend present on ’The Shadowed Road’. Sojourner have found their niche, and I look forward to witnessing them develop it.
Standout Songs: The Shadowed Road, Where Lost Hope Lies
