SEEN AND HEARD: BLODSGARD, ÆTHER REALM, IN-QUEST

I decided to take another break from vacationing to browse the interhole for news and new music, because I continue to have this paranoid suspicion that things continue too happen even when I’m not paying attention. And hellfire and damnation, did I quickly find many items of interest! I’ve collected three items in this post and will try to package up the others in a post tomorrow . . . because vacationing calls me like a siren, and I forgot to stuff my ears with wax.

BLODSGARD

As explained in this review, the debut album by Norway’s Blodsgard — Monument — is in my humble opinion one of the year’s best, and certainly one of my personal favorites. Yesterday brought the premiere of the first music video for the album, for a song named “Sjeler Vil Brenne” (“souls will burn”). It’s a great song, and the video, though mysterious, is transfixing.

The film was made by an Australian company named Shining Dark Productions. Interestingly, Blodsgard have stated that they left the video interpretation of the song entirely in the production company’s hands, “as we believe in the integrity of the artist and the importance of complete artistic control”. Perhaps a risky move, but one that I think worked in this instance.

While some commenters have questioned the connection between what you see in the video and the song for which it was made, I don’t think it can be denied that music is very much subject to personal interpretation by listeners, with each mind creating its own imagery as the music flows. Here, for reasons I’m not sure I could explain, the visuals and the powerful music seem to suit each other.

But judge for yourselves (and be aware that the video includes brief moments of nudity).

https://www.facebook.com/BlodsgardOfficial

Blodsgard – Sjeler Vil Brenne from Blodsgard on Vimeo.

 

ÆTHER REALM

Back in January of this year, we had the privilege of premiering a full album stream of the excellent debut album by North Carolina’s Æther Realm (reviewed by DGR here). Last week the band released a new single named “The Magician”, and I finally got around to checking it out this morning.

It’s a thoroughly rousing, fist-pumping song, the kind of racing, keyboard-flavored, folk-influenced melodic death metal that will send you searching for a battle axe, a drinking horn, and an epic quest to fulfill. The song also includes a couple of swirling guitar solos that are electrifying, as well as a blend of harsh and clean vocals that works very well. Excellent stuff!

“The Magician” is available on Bandcamp via the link below. And after the links, enjoy the song.

http://aether-realm.bandcamp.com/track/the-magician
https://www.facebook.com/AetherRealm
http://aetherrealm.storefrontier.com/

 

IN-QUEST

In early October, Andy Synn reviewed the latest album by this Belgian band, The Odyssey of Eternity He called it “a fantastic album, punishingly heavy and furiously aggressive, yet at the same time coldly, hypnotically compelling – pulsing with razor-sharp death metal hooks and spell-binding sci-fi ambience.” Yesterday the band unveiled an official video for one of the new album tracks, “The Algorhythmic Alignments”.

The song is a gem, one that seamlessly combines utterly jolting rhythms, soaring lead guitars, otherworldly atmospheric ambience, and ravenous vocal might. Although the video simply focus on the band performing the song, it’s very well done — as interesting to watch as the song is to hear. Check it out below.

https://www.facebook.com/inquestofficial