ALBUM REVIEW: The Howling Gale – Ancient Torment / Haxen
Despite being the smallest state in the US, Rhode Island has a thriving black metal scene. Much like most corners of the world, there has been an impressive black metal underground that has sadly often gone overlooked since the late 90s, and it only needs to be discovered by fans outside of these areas to be appreciated. One of the best ways to showcase the talents of a small but vibrant scene is splits; two or more acts contributing material to a record, although oftentimes these kinds of records don’t gain the same sort of attention that albums or even EPs do. With The Howling Gale, two of the state’s best underground acts, ANCIENT TORMENTand HAXEN, do just that, with the end result being an impressive and captivating record that showcases two stellar acts on top form.
The ANCIENT TORMENT portion of this split begins with A Solitary Grave Illuminated By The Light Of The Morningstar, a song that combines bleak melodicism with dense rhythms and coarse, throaty vocals, creating a dark and imposing sound right off the bat that feels intense in spite of the fact that much of this track is mid-paced. The band temper this harshness with slick, punchy hooks, perfectly blending the best elements of raw black metal with the genre’s catchier side, serving as a powerful and hypnotic start to proceedings. Outlaw Cleansed Waters possesses a more driven pace and much more frenetic musicianship, especially when it comes to the guitars and drums, which punctuate the monolithic sound with bursts of caustic brutality, turning various parts of this song into a dizzying whirlwind of visceral, blistering black metal. The vocals, similarly, take on a biting, acidic snarl, matching the discordance of the music extremely well, adding an acerbic edge to an already punishing track.
HAXEN start their side of this record with Blood On The Fire, a song built upon meaty guitars and steady drums, with a noticeably murkier production and more primitive style of black metal much closer to the Norwegian second wave sound, with the stringent, venom-soaked vocals further adding to the effect. It’s a track that takes a classic sound and applies an aggression to it that makes what should be a relatively straightforward offering brim with life and character. Cave And Solitude continues in the same vein, albeit with a slower tempo, starker guitar sound and spartan, atmospheric vocals, with the use of fuller chords and a more percussive drum style lending this a cavernous and domineering feel. The song’s chaotic second half completely transforms this into a feral, unhinged number that leans more heavily into the primal, animalistic end of the band’s sound, not departing massively from what they have been doing so far, but immediately commanding the listener’s attention. Black Eyes Of Dog adopts the faster, grating approach that lay at the heart of the previous track and explores it more thoroughly, with jarring riffs, energetic drums and tortured, howling vocals all contributing to a fiercer, eclectic sound that sees the more cacophonous flourishes broken up by funereal, droning passages, a touch that adds an air of unpredictability into the mix, whilst never straying too far from the bestial parts that make this song so impactful.
Whether it’s the clashing styles on here – the more atmosphere-drenched and melodic stylings of ANCIENT TORMENT or the unpolished, muscular intensity of HAXEN – this split manages to capture two acts who are at the forefront of Rhode Island’s underground scene. The two distinct styles on here do actually help to keep things interesting, broadening the scope of what’s on offer, and although both HAXEN and ANCIENT TORMENT are creating music with a slightly rawer production, there’s enough diversity within these five tracks to appeal to a wide range of black metal fans. If nothing else, The Howling Gale should have listeners looking into both bands’ previous work, and give both of these brilliant acts some well deserved attention.
Rating: 8/10
The Howling Gale is out now via Eternal Death.
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