HYPERBOREAN — The Spirit Of Warfare (review)

HYPERBOREAN — The Spirit Of Warfare album cover Album · 2011 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Vehemency
As a heavy consumer of hissing, dusty black metal tape demos, polished and melodic black metal has never triggered any proper interest in me. But if the former was always done as successfully as on Hyperborean’s The Spirit of Warfare, my general opinion would most likely change.

The most important thing is that Hyperborean doesn’t even try to sound really evil and morbid, hence the clear sound fits the soundscape which is laden with lead melodies à la Horn, though it could be better to mention some death metal bands at this point, since The Spirit of Warfare, with its myriad of melodies, could be seen better as a death- than black metal album, also due to its adventurous song progressions that are quite far from cold and monotonous black metal. However, one can still notice a clear Dissection influence running through the album’s veins.

At its best, The Spirit of Warfare is on ”Weapon Mankind” where a solid piano melody and emotional tremelo guitars work together beautifully, and another highlight is the ten-minute centerpiece ”The Last Stand of Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopylaye” that focuses more on creating atmosphere - with the help of subtle synths - rather than tight guitarwork. What comes to the album’s negative sides, there’s the production that, even if I can accept the overall clear sound, could sound more full, as right now there’s a slight lack of bass guitar and the drums are somewhat plastic.

It’s not that The Spirit of Warfare changes my life nor my general impression of melodic black metal, but it’s the kind of album that I really enjoy listening to every now and then, thus deserving a favorable rating. I could see The Spirit of Warfare as an ideal album for someone not really into black metal, as his first steps towards an explorable genre. And, logically, those merely into the filthiest of sounds better avoid this one.
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