Graves of Valor - Salarian Gate

April 28, 2009

Reviewer: Ilmarinen

Death Metal has been around for a sufficiently long time now, not only to be taken seriously as a musical direction but also to be acknowledged for its maturity and longevity. Over the years it's been pummeled by a hailstorm of influences which it nonchalantly soaked in along the way. But never did it shed its old skin or renounce its origin for the sake of something slicker or more appropriately modern. Well, the hazing is long over now, but the fury that is Death Metal remains. This is not to say that it has not the foresight to expand its sound or that it lacks the spirit of innovation. We the fans can boast personal experience with anything from plain old white bread death metal to symphonic DM, blackened DM, doom DM, industrial DM, Death Thrash, and the least probable but nevertheless prominent enough to give birth to such luminaries as SuidAkrA and Amorphis (one of its phases anyway), folk inspired DM as well.

Nonetheless, few genres can hold the banner of steadfastness as high and proud as death metal. No matter the diversity, no matter how far and wide the branches sprawl into the musical stratosphere, the roots run deep and strong. Just ask Graves of Valor.

Sadly at this juncture, nearly three decades after its conception, Death Metal as a genre that invites change and growth has seemingly reached a saturation point and has consequently become self-referential. Not necessarily a negative factor,  it does inevitably give rise to what may be termed as the attack of the clones. It is too easy now to be introduced to a slew of bands in earnest hope of finding novelty only to be bogged down in an almost offensively incestuous lack of originality.

Graves of Valor’s Salarian Gate is not revolutionary; all the revolutions have already been fought. But they are nevertheless a most attractive proposition to the genre. Taking the old and well worn-in sound and giving it a strong shove to a greater height, it is as if they added another dimension to the music, which is true yet misleading at the same time. If we were dealing with a computer monitor, one could compare this phenomenon to beefing up the refresh rate on your screen. You are still viewing the same image, except it is now suddenly crisper and essentially more inviting.

This album is a mugging...by a porn star. Afterwards you feel violated but strangely find yourself yearning for more. Guitars explode with chugging muscle rhythms intertwined with serpentine chainsaw riffing; omnipresent is an impressively precise drum work that punctuates the harmonies, whereas remarkably melodic leads occasionally allow for respite from the assault. Drums alternate between marching rolls, drilling death metal pounding and seemingly early Cryptopsy inspired chaotic measure patterns. The sound that emerges feels a bit like if Nile eloped with Meshuggah and Cannibal Corpse was the midwife. Yes, picture it, just like that.

The title track opens with alternating shotgun guitar bursts, fast and loud. Just as you get accustomed to the pace it breaks and makes way for a thundering drums passage. The drummer claims respect here that the guitars netted in as soon as the track opened. There is a smooth transition when strings slow down without losing intensity as drums gain ground and pave the way to a melodic solo passage that leads on to the outro. Very cool first impression.

"Suffocation of the Last King" chokes you out with a brutal old school Dissection-like guitar riff that breaks down into choppier rhythm and then picks up again whirring and buzzing like a dental drill. Machine-gun drums are prominent as they needlepoint the various textures of this jigsaw of brutality.

"Pestilence" intro is reminiscent of At The Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, a blackened thrash fest, thick and chuggy. Guitars grow sharper as further resemblance blurs and fade; drums thud away with surgical attention to detail, the song flip flops between choppier and smoother riffs. A manic twittering solo defended by a drum assault looks and after a while finds the exit.

By the time "Bridles of Incitatus" kicks into overdrive a sense of the overall design takes shape. These songs are meticulously architected from shorter pieces. In a way it is not unlike Meshuggah's Nothing creation, but crazier, angrier, and with all prog sensibilities ripped away by the sheer violence of Salarian Gate, so perhaps Nile or early Cryptopsy would be a better comparison. But why compare at all? After all, band comparisons are like lines in the sand. Come the next album, and they are washed out of relevance. On the other hand, gaining a sense of a band through the drudgery that incubated technical descriptions can often be is about as practical as reading ingredients on the back of some product in hopes of deducing its identity.

Some may argue against a distinct lack of catchy headbanging riffs, while others may sing praises to the very many obvious technical virtues of this album. Again this begets a Nile comparison who often forsakes immediate gratification for the durability of atmosphere supported by impeccable musicianship.

But onwards with the review.

"No Gods Left" is this album's distinguished requiem. It is a sensible outro to this monsterpiece, a slow creeping tune that provides the perfect counterpoint to everything that has been unleashed up until now. Its doomy presence evokes memories of another death metal ballad, Hypocrisy's "Deathrow" which was also strategically placed at the end for maximum impact.

This is, for the lack of a better word, a fresh death metal release, an all around impressive debut with very few shortcomings. A few songs fall victim to monotony, namely "Sic Semper Tyrannis" and "To Breathe Blood". But that may be subjective. Most importantly, it is not a linear dependant of another band, there is enough originality and drive here to secure replay value, and the songs are just, well, flat out cool. Presently there is a comfortable range to their sound that insures, or at the very least, provides for future longevity and diversity. Another good one for death metal. Here's peering at your future, Graves!

Release Date: May 26, 2009
Label: Relapse Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Salarian Gate
2.  Suffocation of the Last King
3.  Pestilence
4.  Bridles of Incitatus
5.  Sic Semper Tyrannis
6.  Letter on the Blind
7.  To Breathe Blood
8.  The Clever Ape
9.  Diderot
10.  Locusta
11.  No Gods Left

TO THE TOP

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