The German band with the slightly awkward name XIV Dark Centuries can be somewhat called veterans of the scene. Having been formed more than two decades ago, their past outputs got them quite a bit of recognition. Not all of the critics and reviews over the course of the years have been positive, but they managed to build a solid fan base. To be honest I have not been familiar with this outfit before. However, when I stumbled upon the video of their song “Atme den Wald” (which translates to something like “breathe/inhale the forest”) I was immediately hooked. Despite the slight goofiness surrounding the band, their newest output and fourth full length “Waldvolk” is some seriously heavy and catchy shit.
The term “pagan metal” is not one that would normally trigger an instant purchase on my site. That being said there is a lot more to this album, so it might be difficult to put it straight into just one category. The main promise is a delivery of that sweet cold and melodic black metal base, immediately transporting the listener to the Thuringian forests. Bright synths lift the music and carry the weight of the lyrics, while the clean and crisp production keeps things sharp. Blast beats keep battering against your skull and atmospheric soundscapes of layered synths are setting the tone.
Most of the tracks come along with a very melodic approach, with soaring lead flourishes swirling through each song. There is a sinister edge to the soundscape, but also sometimes hints at a power metal influence (think bands like Falconer) cannot be denied. “Waldvolk” surely is not black metal at its purest, there are certainly influences from various genres, in particular melodic death metal. The combination of the two guitars and the keyboard provides some ultimately uplifting harmonies, which are constantly pitched against the traditional tremolo runs and blast attacks. Other classic folk sounds are also woven into the overall sound, helping to visualize the inner picture of sitting around a campfire when the darkness of the forest and the night have fallen upon us.
While the other members have been more or less together since the start of XIV Dark Centuries, drummer Manu is the new kid on the block. You would not be able to tell without knowing though, as he seamlessly fits into the band. The instrumentation is top notch, and the songwriting shows an experienced bunch of musicians at the top of their game. While there are a lot of small details, soloing parts and subtle variations throughout the record the lads have abstained from making things overcomplicated. There are one intro and one outro, but otherwise you get 9 competently written and performed songs that should immediately catch the interest of most metal heads. The vocals consist of fierce black metal barking and clean and epic passages, mainly used within the catchy chorus parts.
Like mentioned before the sound is top notch, having enough punch and power, but also being organic and not too compressed. The album comes as beautiful digipak edition released by Einheit Produktionen, with the artwork being aesthetically kept in black and golden tones, so I highly recommend to get this one in physical format.
Teaser:
XIV Dark Centuries - Teaser WaldvolkSample:
Waldvolk | XIV Dark Centuries
