Okera, Ov Hollowness & Valscharuhn

June 10, 2010

CHRIS

*Comments:

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

Okera - The Black Rain

Fans of old school Anathema and Morningrise-era Opeth might want to get a hold of Okera’s The Black Rain demo. The Australian quartet seems to have caught the down-tempo death bug to a perfect tee.

I truly like that old slow, melancholy death sound from Sweden’s early 90’s period; it was a very interesting union that Opeth managed to capitalize on right off the bat to a very successful degree. I can’t count the many imitators that have tried, vainly, to capture that sound and make it their own - not happening! With that in mind, keep your mind open to Okera. The music here is not only interesting enough to hold my attention, it’s clean and sharp enough to garner some vast attention. “Futility” is a truly imaginative trek back to, say, Orchid where that growling vocal seemed to pore over the subduing musical landscape. The haunting, even beautiful music is a great addition to my recent playlist.

Where most bands kill the music clocking songs in at the Opethian nine-minute mark, the songs here maintain their punch throughout. Well-produced and void of dilution, The Black Rain is a sign of good things to come from this band, now working on its first full-length.

Valscharuhn - Glimpses through the Mist

Release Date: November 27, 2009
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1. Awakening in a Snowy Meadow   2. The Vast Library 
3. Ages Ago, Miles Below   4. Drift to the Stars
-    Total playing time: 37:03

Alaska’s one-man project Valscharuhn issues its second demo of older material titled Glimpses through the Mist, ambient soundscapes that are both serene and interesting. While I hasten to label this “chill out” music, the mood herein is certainly one of mental and physical relaxation without necessarily boring you into submission. It’s far from Enigma or Jerry Goldsmith, but it’s a decent effort.    

“Awakening in a Snowy Meadow” is a long, yet nice experience that can literally calm even the most rabidly angry person. While managing to change up the music throughout so as to avoid total stagnation, Glimpses offers an ambient, keyboard-driven relief from the speedy metal we’re most likely drenched in on a daily basis. While obviously nurtured, there’s an evident spacey feel throughout that can either be off-putting or welcome pace-change depending on your taste or mood that day. 

While there are parts that border on overkill or the typical (the sound effect of “angels” for example), the effort as a whole is one of organized emotion and sincere introspection if you’re attracted to such a musical venture. “Ages Ago, Miles Below” begins with a familiar Burzum-esque feel that sounds like a Det Som Engang Var-inspired jaunt through the consciousness. The tunes themselves might be good once or twice around, but I’m not so sure they will be something to pick up time and again. 

While far from perfect, Glimpses manages to inspire some emotions; what those are depends on you.     

Ov Hollowness - Demo 2010

Release Date:  February 22, 2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1. Diminished  2. Cursed…  3. Silence  4. Rest in Chaos
-    Total playing time: 26:40

Another black metal outfit north from here has issued its demo in way of Ov Hollowness, a one-man outfit that is creating some ambient, depressive tunes to contemplate a life by.

Upon ingesting the first track, “Diminished,” I actually really like the feel and ability to capture a feeling of despair and cold ala the Norse scene. While the music here is very typically black metal (in that nothing is really new or overly exciting) that shouldn’t discount Ov Hollowness completely. There’s a very dim element to the music, even if it does suffer from the
“same-old” syndrome of having heard this a thousand times already. As I listen to this and think of the music being quite good and atmospheric, I’m also conjuring up at least six bands that this is borrowing from rather generously. The vocals are, again, typically thin and soaring rasps that fit well, but offer nothing new or even unique.

This demo has the grand feel of a finely under-produced, practically white noise background going for it; that said, “Silence” surprises with its quick slow-down-and-speed-up element it’s just a very typical black metal offering that, while good, does little to set itself apart from bands some to decades old that have already set footprints in this snowy mountainside.

Not bad, not great.

DOWNLOAD Demo 2010 FREE from the band's  myspace page (click on link above).

TO THE TOP

Release Date:  January 11, 2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1. The Black Rain   2. Futility   3. Like Jewels in The Sky 
-    Total playing time: 26:58

DOWNLOAD The Black Rain FREE from the band's  myspace page (click on link above).

DOWNLOAD Glimpses through the Mist FREE from the band's bandcamp page here: http://valscharuhn.bandcamp.com/

DEMO ARCHIVE