Graveland "Cold Winter Blades" CD

Graveland is perhaps the only band that manages to put out yearly releases that differ from the prior in an extremely slight way, to the degree that would provoke someone (probably a metal listener) to inquire whether Rob Darken's scheme has become something comical in his mind and he is only recording these pieces out of habit. Pagan habit. Cold Winter Blades is more of the same, however there is an amount of variation in sound here that moves to the side of the sound that would be expected.
Three of the songs here are leftovers from previous sessions and the first two are new. The first three songs have a stronger medieval feel than most other Graveland songs that I've heard, and I've heard quite a few over the years. The riffs are slightly sharper and the keyboards more pronounced creating more obvious melodies than in the previous few albums, which works to give the listener something to catch on to other than droning digital choirs over rounded guitar noise. White Winged Hussary is the standout track, it uses clean melodies and clear, acoustically warm drumming to define what it is that Rob Darken is attempting to do in all his works (Lord Wind too). I found it to be the the Graveland track of the finest composition out of his extensive catalog, and makes this piece worth listening to.

For many years, Rob Darken follows the "more of the same" dogma. He repeats his beloved song formula again and again and this way of proceeding does definitely not reflect an adventuresome mind. But as a consumer, you know exactly what you get when buying a new Graveland album. It is therefore a matter of course that "Cold Winter Blades" also leads to the archaic realm of Darken´s fantasy. Far from civilization, coldheartedness reigns over empathy and peace is no value in itself. The cover visualises this atmosphere in a very good way.
As expected, all of the usual ingredients of Graveland´s sound show up. The dragging rhythms mirror melancholy, isolation or combativeness, Darken´s conjuring voice adds a cruel note and the background choirs have been directly imported from Valhalla. Due to the broad mix, the overall impression does not lack of mightiness. There is, however, one small restriction, because the snare drum sounds powerless and thin. Aggravating this situation, the drum computer - or is it actually Darken himself, as it is written in the booklet? - sometimes seems to play a different song instead of being aligned with the other instruments ("The Morning Mist"). But who wants to be pedantic?
Due to the stylistic perseverance of Darken, the mixture of new and rerecorded tracks works in a surprisingly homogeneous way. The tracks possess the predictable yet amazing degree of coldness and hostility, albeit the third number comes as a semi-ballad. Perhaps Darken really knows only one composition scheme, but this does not mean that he works carelessly. Within the narrow limits of his approach, he tries to vary the songs. Even sharp critics must admit that he is successful in this respect. On the one hand, the 35 minutes of "Cold Winter Blades" do not overcharge the listener. On the other hand, they also do not appear tritely. Hence, it can be concluded that Darken has found the right balance between variety and recognisability. Only the remix of "Dance of Axes and Swords" fails to reveal new aspects of the song.
The publication of "Cold Winter Blades" makes sense with regard to the fact that two of the three newly recorded tracks originate from compilations. I doubt that these pieces have received much attention so far. But even if I am mistaken, the strong and rustic "From the Beginning of Time" marks another jewel in every Graveland collection. Only those of you who never felt the need to get in touch with the Polish one-man show may rest assured that they do not miss anything.

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