Limited to 400 copies on regular black vinyl.
Issued in a deluxe sleeve with silver-foil print. Comes with double-sided inlay.
This EP is probably the most underrated and under appreciated piece of material in the whole of Graveland's discography. Let me start by saying the copy I have is of the original pressing, on cassette in which Blood of Heroes is the first track and I Am What They Fear is the second (on MA, it is seen as the other way around, whether that applies to the No Colours CD re-issue, I am not sure).
First off, an introduction to the overall sound. It could easily and accurately be compared to the sound of The Fire of Awakening, mostly with that rich heavy doom-laden guitar sound that was on that album. The drumming is more reminiscent of what was featured on the epic masterpiece, Creed of Iron, in that it is slow, pounding and cymbol-heavy marching beats. If it truly is drum programming, then it is done in such an interesting and unique way and fits with the pace of the music perfectly. Lastly, the vocals are split into two parts. The raw, harsh growls and rasps of Rob Darken that has become trademark and imitated successfully by no one, and the epic, carefully-placed choirs that has become almost essential to post-Immortal Pride Graveland. All these combined together make for one very strong atmosphere of war, battle, valkyries bringing fallen warriors to Valhalla and just about everything else which Rob tries, and succeeds, to bring to mind in his music.
The guitars and drums work so well together, in an imaginitive way. It's hard to explain, you really have to hear it yourself to understand, but the way the drumming compliments the guitar riffs and notes really adds to the atmosphere and sound that the choirs and battle-weary vocals bring. Unique drum fills are also the order of the day on this EP, small, catchy drum fills that sound as if they are double bass hits in satisfying patterns, and bombastic pounding drums, mixed with cymbol worship, all help establish that rich atmosphere that was used on The Fire of Awakening to great effect.
I have given this EP a 95%, such a high rating I know, but for me personally, this release is so powerful, atmospheric and just strong that it deserves nothing less. It's like a prologue to The Fire of Awakening (much like Raise Your Swords was an epilogue to Creed of Iron). It's definitely one of my favorite Graveland releases, but if I had to pick a flaw, it would be the fact that the vocals are sometimes hard to hear due to their low volume in the mix. That said, I would recommend Blood of Heroes to any fan of post-Immortal Pride Graveland material, especially if you liked The Fire of Awakening! But for raw black metal fans looking for a Thousand Swords #2, you won't find it here.
Sample:
Graveland - Blood of Heroes (Full album)
