Sol / Blóðtrú: Old Europa Death Chants (4.5/5)

Joshua's Top Ten "Metal" Picks for 2010
#6 of 10



Year: 2010
Genre: Atmospheric Funeral Folk Doom
Label: Paradigms
TRT: 77:34

"Old Europa Death Chants". With a title like that, my attention was immediately piqued, and rightly so. This collaboration of two Danish bands who's body of work falls in the realm of "doom", you sort of think you might have an idea of what they might do together. But that idea is like a rough pencil sketch of the Sistine Chapel. This is a very unique beast.

The pacing is a little strange, and at 77 minutes, a full listen is a commitment, but by the end, you'll feel it was time well spent, and look forward to the next time you take the journey. It's mammoth, serpentine, and oceanic.

01 Alone
02 Crippled by Emotions We Die in Solitude
03 The Dusk of Man: The Dawn of the Beasts
04 Where Did We Fall
05 A Golden Horse
06 Death Chants for Old Europa

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Ulver: Kveldssanger (4.5/5)

Year: 1996
Label: Head Not Found
Genre: Norwegian Acoustic Folk
TRT: 35:24

Previous to this album, Ulver had released a very raw black metal album, with just a hint of what was to be found on Kveldssanger. Simply put, this album is Breathtakingly beautiful. With gorgeous acoustic guitars and rich male choral sections. Listening to it is likened to floating through a dream that, while dark and a little frightening, holds nothing but wonderment and joy.

01 Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne
02 Ord
03 Høyfjeldsbilde
04 Nattleite
05 Kveldssang
06 Naturmystikk
07 A Cappella (Sielens sang)
08 Hiertets vee
09 Kledt i nattens farger
10 Halling
11 Utreise
12 Søfu-ør på allfers lund
13 Ulvsblakk

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