Gravsahl - When Everything Fades [DEMO] (2011)

When Everything Fades is the second demo available solely from Germany's Gravsahl, who last year issued an impressive split recording with Kreetur which I also reviewed. The bulk of the Gravsahl material from that release ("Of Apathy", "Of Sociopathy", "Of Depression") is incorporated here, for a total of nine tracks and nearly 44 minutes of content, making it more like a full-length than a sampling to anyone who has yet to experience this disturbing single man dream state. As one might expect, this is what we might dub a 'bedroom' black metal project. Gravsahl is partial to raw and ruddy production values, heavily processed guitars, programmed drums, walls of active ambient melodies and vocals that sound like an orthodox black metal icon being strung through a spatial wormhole of drab colors.

The idea here is obviously to stir other emotions than merely the primal occultism of the parent genre, but to cast a lucid, muted pallor of depression and beauty atop the grislier aesthetics. To this extent, the remainder of When Everything Fades (beyond the tracks I'd previously heard) is a clear success. Most of the tracks develop in the same direction, outside of the swelling pure ambient intro "A Desperate Move" or the outro "A Last Lament". Subtle atmospheres develop through passionate streams of ringing distortion, ebbing synthesizer and scratching rasps. There are constantly 2-3 things happening in the compositions, so you'll never feel the ennui that such exhibitions can often create, and Gravsahl shifts into multiple tempos through "Just One Step", "Shattered Existence", and "Burning My Last Bridge" which are simply delicious. I kept feeling the impression that this was '4ad' black metal, reminding me of groups like Cocteau Twins or (early) Lush if you replaced the female, ethereal vocals with snarling and channeled the guitars into a dire lock step.

Like the band's 2009 demo A Part of Nothing, this is enjoyable; ultimately superior. Simply cast all bright illusions of pleasantry aside and let yourself sink into its primitive textures and tones. It fits fluidly with the split material, as if the two halves were ever intended to conjoin into this one body. The material is free to download from the Gravsahl MySpace much like the prior output, and it might be about time that labels gave the project a listen. There is obviously still some development possible here: a few of the tunes sound samey and I'd like to hear a wider variety of synth pads, perhaps a dip into the unexpected from time to time, but this is never the less an effective fit of melancholy hovering over a gloomy, obscured landscape. Recommended to fans of ColdWorld, Lifelover, Burzum and so forth.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/gravsahl

Kreetur & Gravsahl - Between Torment and Depression DEMO (2010)

A split demo between Canadian Kreetur and German Gravsahl seems like a natural collaboration, as both bands skirt the edge of the truer black metal population to incorporate elements of electronica and ambient to their sounds, and both had previously issued only a demo. So, rather than ramble down the road of endless demos, why not attempt something unique for the next emission? Furthermore, the bands have this offered for free at their sites, so there is little excuse not to hunt this down if you've even a cursory interest in bands that seek to fuse the snarling, grim aesthetics of minimalist black metal with a bright, contemporary polish. It's, as usual, a wise choice on the part of both artists, and judging by the quality of the material here, which exceeds their previous work.

Each offers four new compositions, the first of which are claimed by Kreetur. "Rain of Torment" is an eerie, dirty synth strike to the accompaniment of rain samples and sparse percussion, almost a perfect little sequence for some obscure foreign horror film and it quickly builds an anticipation of moody, bleak psychedelia. "II Voyage Encore..." forms patterns of deep, morose synthesizer and programmed industrial drums, an eerie concoction topped by a glaze of simple chords and harsh vocals. "Tortured Mind" once again fashions a mystique for itself, over some buzzing drones and trippy synths that escalate beneath the vocal decay, and "Deliverance" swells with pure 80s brilliance, like some forgotten late night street fight sequence in a bad movie interrupted by Havohej or Abruptum. In all, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the moods this Canadian is capable of conjuring, it's something that you don't hear every day. The metal elements are downplayed and justly so, for they don't offer much in the way of interesting riffs, but they seem to work within the context.

On the other hand, Gravsahl's guitar riffing is huge and centric to the climax of decrepit vocals and spacey, atmospheric keyboards. There's a perfect, depressive backwash to the minimal production of this half of the split, a somber elegy which permeates the drained human emotions of the composition, and somehow escapes to festoon glory upon the sagging stars of this German's universe. "Of Apathy (Drones)" is lovely, while "Of Sociopathy (My Fault)" is a mind fucking trip of pulsing electronics that disappear into the terse beat and melodic guitars. This guy's vocals are just fucking sick, like a corpse-painted Martian lamenting the loss of his kind and the atmosphere of his world. "Of Depression (Cleansing Rain)" is like taking the Tangerine Dream score to some cult 80s film and dowsing it in black tongues of numbing ichor, while the closing "Departures" is simply a trailing, distant tone poem to the fade of passion, played on a single piano.

We often turn up our noses at 'bedroom' black metal acts, but I feel the tag certainly applies here, doubly so, because the productions are very lo-fi and possible for almost anyone with basic recording software, a synthesizer, guitar and microphone. However, this in no way should ever be depicted as a negative, because its really what the artist does with whatever he's given that counts, and Kreetur & Gravsahl both evoke and corrupt the light of hope through mocking, null sensations that feel as retro as they do a modern exhibition. 36 minutes of good music, for free, showcasing some promising if somewhat unrefined artists from two continents. I believe that if you've any inkling towards ambient black metal, and an open mind, you might wish to enter this domain.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.myspace.com/kreeturofficial
http://www.myspace.com/gravsahl

Gravsahl - A Part of Nothing [DEMO] (2009)

Gravsahl is the project of one German Graf von Sahl, and he has recorded and issued this first demo for free (link below). There are five tracks to enjoy, and he performs a rather nasty, raw and dense black which often breaks for interludes of sorrow filled synth work.

"Redemption at Full Moon" is over 8 minutes in length, with some solemn pauses between the grim snarling and swerving guitars that create a dark and empty place for the mind to wander. The synth tones often feel 'warm' rather than 'cold', but this is not to say Gravsahl is soft. "Mountain and Forests" feels like a natural progression, with big bombastic synths and crude rasping vocals. It was interesting and felt a little like old Summoning. "Rejected" creates an emotional landscape with sad guitars and programmed drum battery, almost like raw black metal meets 80s goth pop gloom. "Blind Eyes" is eerie and atmospheric, and the "Color of Despair" is an instrumental piano outro which nicely caps off the demo.

The production of A Part of Nothing is average and homebrewed, but I felt nothing lost in the translation. There is a bit of romantic edge to Gravsahl, it is cult and dark yet not as bleak as indie black metal projects. I enjoyed the first three tracks the most, there is a good atmosphere to the material. Again, Graf is offering the demo for free, so if my musings haven't turned you off, it wouldn't kill you to check this out.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/gravsahl