Band: Kreyl
Album: Obscure Rise of Ancient Eulogy
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Spain
Label: Inverse Records
Released: 18th October 2024
Introduction
Spain, a country that has brought forth many good things, like FC Barcelona, paella, and for the anarchists out there, the Molotov cocktail. But also one of my favorite black metal albums, Ouija‘s “Riding into the Funeral Paths”. And there are many more great black metal bands from that scene, for example; Teintanblood, Nahemah and Perennial Isolation. These are just a fraction of them, as the Spanish scene is alive and thriving.
Meanwhile, in 2024 (well according to Metal Archives, 2020, but their first demo/single was released in 2024) a new band emerged in the form of Kreyl. The band describes themselves as follows;
“The Kreyl project was born during the winter of 2020, in the city of Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain), from an idea of Virus Tremor, guitarist of the band and also guitarist of the black metal band
Nefasta and the brutal death metal band Handle with Hate. It was inspired by the album “I” by the
Finnish black metal band Hedonihil and many other bands of the second wave of black metal”
To be fair, I am not familiar with any of the named bands, but that makes it even more fun because I like to discover new gems. With that in mind, let’s see if the debut album by Kreyl is deserving of gem status.
Obscure Rise of Ancient Eulogy
Like every year, there is a wave of new black metal releases, most are okay, some are great. As the band said, this band/album was inspired by the second wave of black metal, and that’s something that’s clear right from the get-go.
I grew up when that second wave hit (in the early 90s) and I’m still riding that wave. The old bands tickle my fancy more than the newer ones, but that has mostly to do with of the sound of the new bands. So when an album comes by that sounds like bands from the 90s, it piques my interest more than most other albums.
Tracklist:
- Giants of Arto Island
- Nekromateion of Ephyra
- Medusa’s Death
- The Oracle of Delphi
- Esoteric Mother of the Waning Moon
- The Dark Kingdom of Tartarus
- Sparagmos
- Hydra of Lerna
- The Battle of Typhoon
And it turns out this album does just that. Straight from the start, it goes hard with blast beats left and right and great vocals supported by some outstanding guitar work. You can just hear that this album is somewhat of a love letter to the 90s, and that, in my book, isn’t a bad thing (when done properly).
Properly, that’s the key word here, did they do it properly? For me, yes they did, as mentioned. It is all well put together, and for example, also mixed very well. It even has that harsh tone the bands from the 90s have. Not only that, but it’s a bit lo-fi, like it’s recorded in a garage or something.
One of my favorite tracks of the album is the fifth one, Esoteric Mother of the Waning Moon. That song just keeps going relentlessly and the vocals of Eris Nocturna Aura completes it very well. Another favorite is the sixth song, The Dark Kingdom of Tartarus. I will recommend these two songs to give you an idea what this album Kreyl is all about,
Conclusion
Kreyl wanted to make an ode to the second wave black metal bands of the 90s, and they passed that exam with flying colours. Everything on this record just drips of that vibe and I love it. Make sure to listen to this album if you have any kind of affection for the originators of the scene.
BMZ Rating: 8,5 – Very Good: An impressive album that rises above many others. It features innovative ideas, captivating lyrics, or excellent musicianship that makes it stand out.
You can support Kreyl here: https://kreyl.bandcamp.com/album/obscure-rise-of-ancient-eulogy
Your thoughts on Obscure Rise of Ancient Eulogy by Kreyl
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