ALBUM REVIEW: Kult Of The Raven – Nattravnen
The result of a collaboration between two of underground death metal’s hardest workers, NATTRAVNEN is the new blackened death metal project from Kam Lee (ex-DEATH, ex-MASSACRE, THE GROTESQUERY) and Jonny Pettersson (WOMBBATH, HEADS FOR THE DEAD, URSINNE). Ambitiously, the duo are releasing a concept album as their debut, following a story of Lee‘s own creation. Harnessing a frost-bitten atmosphere and Pettersson‘s brilliant song-writing chops, NATTRAVNEN are unleashing their debut, Kult Of The Raven, via Transcending Obscurity Records.
Both Lee and Pettersson have been incredibly busy in the underground, boasting expansive discographies spanning a multitude of projects. A testament to the work ethic of both artists, Kult Of The Raven is the second 2018 album for Lee, following THE GROTESQUERY‘s The Lupine Anathema in April, and the third for Pettersson following WOMBBATH‘s The Great Desolation and HEADS FOR THE DEAD‘s Serpent’s Curse, in June and September, respectively. After such a full on year for both artists, you might expect a degree of fatigue to come through Kult Of The Raven. You would be wrong.
With Pettersson handling all of the instrumentation in NATTRAVNEN, he has his work cut out for him. But he doesn’t just rise to the challenge – he obliterates it in Herculean fashion. Kult Of The Raven is a stunning testament to just how talented – and under-rated – an artist Pettersson is. Throughout the record he has created a truly sinister atmosphere, with subtle, synthy orchestration raising the album to epic proportions. Despite the grandiose scale of the atmosphere throughout Kult Of The Raven, frostbitten riffs, high-tempo, trigger-happy drums and a thick, punchy bass sound drives the record with a perfect marriage of black and death metal. Lee delivers a career-defining performance on vocals with NATTRAVNEN‘s debut. There’s a huge range on display here, from the otherworldly guttural vocal style he helped pioneer to a more raspy, blackened growl, even to a haunting, calmer vocal style. The Godfather of the Growl has outdone himself here.
Kult Of The Raven opens with an unkindness of ravens croaking as The Night Of The Raven (which we premiered) drives forward, offering a taste of what the record has to offer in terms of ferocity, atmosphere and scale. Suicidium, The Seductress Of Death keeps the viscous blackened death metal assault moving, injecting a crushing swagger and increasing the epic scale. Synthy pianos and soft, feminine singing bring a sense of melody to NATTRAVNEN‘s arsenal. One of Kult Of The Raven‘s standout moments, Upon The Sound Of Her Wings keeps the huge melody, juxtaposing it with some of the most intense and brutal riff-work on the record.
The mid-section of NATTRAVNEN‘s debut is made up of an eviscerating one-two punch. The BEHEMOTH-esque riffs and atmosphere of From The Haunted Sea really doubles down on the blackened influence that has permeated through the record thus far. While From The Haunted Sea showcases blackened death metal at it’s finest, Return To The Nevermore is a crushing celebration of the classic sounding, old-school death metal style that Lee helped pioneer in decades past. One of Kult Of The Raven‘s highlight moments, the penultimate Kingdom Of The Nattravnen offers something a little different and truly remarkable. Gloom-ridden, doomy riffs drive the song through it’s opening moment, before giving way to a more reserved, calmly haunting verse, featuring crystal clear, skin-crawling vocals from Lee. Still packing a punch, up-tempo brutality drives in when it’s necessary, but Lee‘s unique vocal performance brings a fantastic, if unsettling, sound to the table.
Kult Of The Raven is a late-year wildcard from NATTRAVNEN. A truly enchanting album, it offers ample opportunity to sink into escapism, following the darkness of Lee‘s story while Pettersson‘s masterful musicianship acts as the perfect soundtrack. The eerie, ethereal soundscape NATTRAVNEN have created with Kult Of The Raven is remarkable, and the record stands as one of the finest offerings from both artists’ expansive discography. With career-standout performances from both artists, Kult Of The Raven is a stunning debut album and a fascinating insight to where this project can progress in the future.
Rating: 9/10
Kult Of The Raven is out now via Transcending Obscurity Records.
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