CULT OF BLOOD - "Erdgeist" - genre: Black/Norse Dark Folk Metal
released March 16, 2016 - Digital Album only
https://cultofblood.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/erdgeistalbum/
01. Prologue 01:45
02. Galdur 05:34
03. Runar 08:39
04. Nornir 06:17
05. Grima 08:31
06. Erdgeist 08:21
07. Valknut 07:33
08. Saga 07:06
09. Epilogue 02:18
LINE UP
Kali - Vocals/Growls, Lyrics, Concept
Aamon - Guitar, Bass, Composition
Falkar - Drums, Accordion
Røg - Synth
MIX/ MASTERING
Iguana Studios Germany
RECORDINGS
House of Music Germany
MUSICVIDEO RUNAR:
Filmed and Edited by
Christian Mülhauser
Script, Direction by Kali
ARTWORK/ILLUSTRATIONS
Costin Chioreanu
BIO
Cult of Blood was founded by Kali - Vocals and Aamon - Guitar in 2010 and completed by Falkar on the drums. In 2012 the EP "Hail Saturnus" was recorded at House of Music Studios, Germany. The release of the music video for Hail Saturnus in November 2012 and several great shows with Saturnalia Temple, Attic, Requiem and more, followed. In 2015/16 the album "ERDGEIST", including the music video RUNAR, has been released.
Debut and farewell.
I would like to introduce my readers to this band, or , better said, to the music and to the lyrics of this Swiss band: Cult of Blood. The band is female fronted and plays Black Metal /Dark Folk Metal and has released on March 16, 2016 a very good album: "ERDGEIST", translated Earth Spirit. "Erdgeist" is really impressive, but, unfortunately, it is the debut album and in the same time, the farewell album of the band. How can it be possible? The band disbanded in 2015 but in March 2016 has, at least, released this album as digital album and has made the musicvideo for the song Runar, second musicvideo of Erdgeist. The band explains that "decisive for the name and the core of the album, was "Erdgeist" of Goethe's Faust, a pansophic Earth Elemental..."
The target of this album is everyone who likes Black/Folk /PaganMetal and the mythology of the Northern regions of Europe. I suggest and recommend "Erdgeist" not only to European metalheads but above all to the American ones, just in order to have a taste of the atmosphere of the Nordic sagas. And indeed Erdgeist is a concept album inspired by Icelandic Old Norse poems and also by the Finnish epic Kalevala, by the Celtic/Druidic mythology . The songs are dark, with a shadow of occultism, that is perfectly brought into music: Runecasting and other rituals have been clearly a source of inspiration.
Cult of Blood really offers many techniques of Extreme and Folk /Pagan Metal, like frightening synth sounds, acoustic filigrane as we can hear in the instrumental Prologue and inhexsaustible tremolos, impressive and eruptive guitar riffs, percussive drumming like in the song Galdur, Nornir and Grima. In other songs, like Runar, frontwoman Kali provides multiple vocals alone. The result is that the album is characterized by clear vocals and by raspy screams. I like very much Nornir because it has a great unexpecteded kind of slow-down (reiterated 3 times) that is a captivating hook , breaks the dominant virulent angriness and acts like refrain and outro. In this song there are also two instrumental slower melodic interludes in perfect folk style. I also recommend the song Grima where the fury is softened by a more melodic yet sinister and epic chanting , and by a duet between Kali and drummer Falkar (the only duet of the album). Dark and atmospheric ambience completes the picture in each song. melancholic as well as rabid and very heavy chords go hand in hand to create a sense of cursed, haunted sorrow. All the instrumental as well as the vocal reiterations make the songs hypnotic enough and clearly ritualistic.
The making of the musicvideo for Runar is wonderfully explained by the band itself: "The making of the musicvideo RUNAR was an adventure that has no equal.
Fitted with high-tech film equipment "Runar" was shot at three days in winter and spring in the depth of the old forests and rivers of Kaltbrunnental, the majestic oak grove near Bubendorf, with more than 520 year old oak trees, in Nuglar and in Sihlwald at the enchanted Gattiker pond near Zurich Switzerland. Our fabulous cameraman and video editor Christian Mülhauser sat the script into epic pictures. Despite many hardships such as diving into ice-cold water by night, standing for hours barefoot on frozen ground or dealing with some ill-tempered villagers, the recordings became a success and unforgettable great experience. RUNAR tells in film language about Rune Magick and spiritual transformation initiated by ancient sacrifice rituals of the priestess which offers the symbols to the Earth Spirit. The beggar becomes a warrior by offering his blood, the seeker liberates himself by fire while the priestess, the Völva represends the channel to the Otherworld. "
I really suggest to visit https://cultofblood.bandcamp.com/releases and to buy a digital "copy" of the album.
RÚNAR RÁDHA RÉTT RÁTH!
Runen raunt reine Rede! [german]
Runes murmur pure speech!
Rating: 8/10
Review by dalia di giacomo GryphonMetal.ch Team