ALBUM REVIEW: Evocation of Light – Stortregn
With the release of their second full length record back in 2013, Evocation of Light, Switzerland’s STORTREGN really mastered their craft and made a solid mark upon the international extreme metal scene, with the album enduring and proving to be perhaps their most impressive and enduring record to date. Now, little over six years since it initially saw the light of day, the album is finally receiving a well deserved re-issue on Non Serviam Records, which will hopefully shine a light on an incredibly solid and underrated record, and draw new listeners to STORTREGN.
Inner Black Flame is an impressive opening offering, which, following a brief acoustic section, gives way to a razor sharp piece of melodic black metal with some powerful lead passages and visceral, harsh vocals, which make for a tight and memorable sound when coupled with the intricate drumming. It’s a great, energetic song that sets the listener up for the rest of the record incredibly well. Epitaph – An Evocation of Light follows in much the same vein, with focused guitar hooks and rabid vocal deliveries carrying the track for the most part, with a driven and muscular rhythm section backing up the rest of the music extremely well. It’s an especially epic track that does a great job of drawing the listener in, and, other than a short but sweet acoustic interlude, doesn’t lose any of its intensity throughout.
Between Shadows and Souls with its slower pace and melancholic edge, noticeably changes the formula somewhat, making for a bleak yet brilliant affair which adds some variety to the record, without sacrificing the technical guitar flourishes or the bellicose vocals, making for another catchy and hook-laden song. Negative Theology, a song driven far more by its rhythms, sees the lead guitars be slightly more restrained, building a much more dark and atmospheric sound than the three songs that have come before it, with the ever present acoustic parts complementing the music as opposed to breaking it up. It’s an early stand out on this record that provides a lot of depth to this record. Moonshade reverts to the more frenetic, thrashing leads and thunderous drums that informed the first few tracks on this record, with guitars and percussion building a massive, grandiose sound, with the hellish howl of the vocals providing an excellent contrast to the sublime sound of this particular affair.
A Mournful Saraband acts as a short pallet cleanser of a song, with sweet acoustic guitars once again making an appearance, but feeling far more suitable and fitting for their use, rather than just being inserted into a song to add something else to the mix. It acts as a great prelude to what is arguably this records preeminent song, So Much Dust…. This particular track, with it catchy lead guitars and morose feel, is a haunting yet intricate track that really sees STORTREGN showcasing their musicianship and songwriting talent on full display, without a single dull moment being present here. It’s one of the albums briefer offerings, and it feels as though this song could have gone on for a couple more minutes without losing any of its intended effect or growing stale, standing out significantly from many of the songs that have preceded it.
Thoroughfares maintains much of the brooding, ferocious tone of the previous song, with the vocals adopting a more rasping, shrill sound that really benefits the song as a whole and makes the aggressive music on offer feel all the more feral and effective. It’s a great way to bring the album to its climax, and sets the listener up for the ninth and final song, The Call, perfectly. This monolithic, sprawling piece of music makes use of full, rhythmic chords and more sparsely utilised, but well placed, riffs to builds a huge wall of noise that is topped with some excellent vocals, which provide a strong, acerbic edge to the rest of the music, giving this song a far more grand feel with some subtle intensity. With the soaring leads being far more spread out here, this song manages to remain interesting for far longer, making what should be a more monotonous track into another album high point, bringing the record to a close in a great way.
Evocation of Light is an impressive album from start to finish. Although a touch formulaic at points, STORTREGN flex and branch out over the course of the record, throwing far more epic elements and a dark, brooding edge into the mix, which really helps make this record more lively and memorable as it reaches its climax. The production also aids the music on the record, being crisp and sharp enough to allow minor flourishes in the music come to the fore as well as making the music far more appealing to those who may not be acclimatised to the black/death metal sound.
Rating: 8/10
Evocation Of Light is out now via Non Serviam Records.
Like STORTREGN on Facebook.