Raate "Sielu, Linna" CD Digipack

Descripción The first album of Raate is what I consider as being a good effort. This first CD consists in two very different parts. The two first tracks, that are pretty long, are Atmospheric Black Metal at the finest. No clichés are to be found here, just pure emotions. The music is dark, mostly from mid-tempo to slow, the keyboards strengthen cold and varied guitar melodies and the vocals are split in clean declamations and tortured lamented growls. This doesn't seem to be something new, but it's really well-done. Even in the Black Metal oriented tracks, there are a couple of good medieval breaks with acoustic guitar in the vein of Satyricon's first album. If you appreciate bands like The Eye, or Ulver's album Bergtatt, this should be for you. "Viimeinen Linnoitus" is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard. Its rhythmic variations and the richness of the atmospheres resulting on the excellent songwriting makes it absolutely wonderful.
The second part of the album, that we could call "Suo" (it seems to be one song divided in five parts) is only instrumental and less metal oriented, except the second and the four parts that are in the vein of the two first tracks, but a bit more Black/Doom oriented and with more atmospheric and string interludes. These interludes and the three other parts of "Suo" are near Ulver's second album Kveldsfanger. This is not common Atmospheric music consisting in two poor repeated keyboard melodies. Here you'll find well-played acoustic guitar melodies full of emotions and coldness.
To conclude, if you appreciate variations between incredibly good Atmospheric Black Metal tracks and intense acoustic guitar compositions, this CD is for you. This album has nothing common with the nowadays scene and sounds more like great Atmospheric Black Metal releases of the 90's in the songwriting and in the structure. The only drawback of Raate's first CD is the length. When you like an album, you always wish it could be a bit longer, especially in this kind of music. Anyway, "Sielu, Linna" is definitely good and should have a place in the discography of all nostalgic Atmospheric Black Metal fans.

Sample:  Raate - Sielu, Linna (Full Album)