ALBUM REVIEW: The Album – Bright & Black
Classical music has always had the potential to be dark, foreboding and, indeed, heavy; you only have to listen to Gustav Holst‘s menacing Mars, The Bringer Of War for a perfect example. No surprises, then, that metal has joined forces with it in a number of different ways over the last five-and-a-half decades… but never in the way it’s about to. BRIGHT & BLACK, a multinational project borne out of the Baltic states, might be the genesis of a new branch of heavy – this is metal musicians writing pieces to be played by an orchestra.
BRIGHT & BLACK is the brainchild of esteemed music producer Jacob Hellner and Versity Music guru Per Kviman, who have partnered with APOCALYPTICA‘s Eicca Toppinen and BALTIC SEA PHILARMONIC founding conductor and musical director Kristjan Järvi to fully realise this ground-breaking vision. Alongside Toppinen, there are contributions from members of OPETH, WATAIN, MESHUGGAH and ENTOMBED A.D, and this album is just one-third of the overall experience – live dates are being booked across Europe for this year and there’s even a video game in the works. However this record, titled simply The Album and being released independently on January 26th, is naturally the watershed moment; a lot is riding on whether this sinks or swims.
It’s important to emphasise that this isn’t a metal album – it’s a classical album written by metalheads. There are a couple of moments that would be fitting for an album of riffs and blast beats – the tremolo-heavy guitar solo at the end of Bloodgrind is one such occasion – but otherwise this is a conveying of emotions and stories from accomplished, classical musicians, led by Toppinen on first cello and soloist.
The opening Nidhugg begins with rising violins, joined by brass and timpani to make it grandiose before the song glides effortlessly from the sort of compositions you would hear as the introduction to a band’s live set to generate anticipation and airy, light composition. Can’t Explain This is a strings-heavy song with a beautiful, haunting solo from Toppinen that is just one of many highlights from the cellist and The Secret tells a wonderful story of mystery and tension that builds until the orchestra falls silent and then comes in with a dark and moody cacophony, as if the titular secret has been revealed and the fallout not overly positive.
As The Album enters its second half, Armies Of The Preposterous features a more contemporary percussion, while A World Of Strange is the embodiment of one of the record’s best qualities – the entire thing is easy to listen to. It’s not hard to drift away in the different elements and the song structures and the lack of vocals means that it can be put on as background noise and work to great effect. Even Collateral Damage, the longest song at nine-and-a-half minutes featuring a military snare and the wail of a guitar to kick it off, settles down and works its way through you until it’s finished before you know it.
BRIGHT & BLACK is a curious entity, but one that will certainly be embraced by fans on both sides of the metal/classical divide. It’s a bold, brave venture into the unknown and has paid off well and, if this is the only time such a project will happen, it will stand firm for years to come.
Rating: 8/10
The Album is out now via self-release.
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