mavradoxa-letheanlament-reviews

Review from The Black Planet

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 22:24:43 +0100

From: The Black Planet

Published: February 26, 2018

Formed in 2015 in Rochester city, Mavradoxa is a talented duo comprised by Nival (vocals, guitar and bass) and Lux (vocals and drums). Less than a year after their debut album, “Sojourners”, this Laurentian Black Metal band returns with their second full-length, “Lethean Lament”. This album offers the listeners approximately one hour of atmospherically injected black metal.

The journey starts with “Cicadan”, an instrumental and acoustic lament on a laurentian forest scenario, featuring a violin solo by Andy McGirr. This collaboration successfully intensified the melancholic atmosphere. The devilish “Phantom visage” track reveals a production that clearly emphasise the somber guitars, which make the vocals fade into their distortion. Complemented with stormy drum beats, this track results in an interesting blackened doom with a sluggish, crusty and abrasive sonority.

Furthermore, the mournful lyrics direct your attention towards the album’s title, which can be interpreted as a reference to the River Lethe. This is one of the five rivers of the greek underworld (Hades), from which the tales claim that those who drank from it, would fall into a complete state of oblivion. The dead were required to drink from River Lethe waters in order to forget their earthly life. In addition to the previous tales about the river, Lethe was also the Greek spirit and personification of oblivion.

As we keep dwelling through “Lethean Lament” it will become clear that long songs are the norm. “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame”, with almost 18 minutes, is a perfect example of that. Counting with Makr Welden contribution on vocals, this track moves through moments of deep and calm introspection. Counting with clean vocals and acoustic notes switching into bursts of aggressive riffs and harsh growls, this track brings into the spotlight the organic drum work of Lux. This autumnal hymn is one of the tracks where the multiple layers of Mavradoxa’s music is most evident. With its mysticism able to replace your surroundings with visions of grand ancient forests.

On the other hand, “Across the Nival Grove”, with expansive and ethereal riffs will take us to a landscape filled with mountains and their slopes. Nonetheless, this track is filled with despair, encapsulating a whirlwind of emotions. Its most graceful feature is the communion between Lux and Nival vocals (even if just for few seconds) and Andy McGirr ‘s violin contribution.

This homage to the Laurentian regions blends wonderfully with the Cascadian vibes of fellow bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, Alda, Falls of Rauros and Agalloch. Perhaps “Lethean Lament” will bring some comfort to the souls of those still mourning the departure of Agalloch. Mavradoxa, with their successful effort in “Lethean Lament” managed to turn this soundscape into something even more wondrous, mystical and introspective.

Reviewed by: Carolina Ventura

Rating: 7/10

Review from Dutch Metal Maniac

Sat, 27 Jan 2018 20:10:09 +0100

From: Dutch Metal Maniac

Published: January 25, 2018

Original Link

After their formation in 2015, the American atmospheric black metal band Mavradoxa released their debut full-length, Sojourners, in 2016. Since June 22nd guitarist/vocalist Nival and drummer/vocalist Lux got a successor released. This successor is titled Lethean Lament and was released via Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Lethean Lament contains four track surrounded by a folky intro and outro. In the intro, called Cicadan, one of the two guest musicians of Lethean Lament can be heard immediately. It is Andy McGirr, whom you might know from the American black metal band Hubris, playing violin. Right after this relaxing intro, Mavradoxa gets unleashed, especially guitar-wise. The guitars on The Phantom Visages sound loud and heavy, but also melodic, executed in a very great way. Meanwhile, the drums are really on the background in the mix, but not too much. The drums sound very flat, making it sound a bit emotionless. Luckily this gets better in the remaining tracks. This track, The Phantom Visages, and the track before the outro, From Fog are the heavier, faster tracks. The tracks in the middle, Crimson Waves Of Autumnal Flame and Across The Nival Grove are the more atmospheric tracks on Lethean Lament. The first of those, Crimson Waves Of Autumnal Flame, even starts with an intro only consisting of an acoustic guitar. Later in this track the second guest of the album can be heard. This time it is a vocal addition by Mark Welden, vocalist of American grindcore band Blurring. At the end of the other more atmospheric track, Across The Nival Grove, Andy McGirr and his violin make a comeback, while the guitars are also still very present. This combination makes the end of this track very loud and noisy as well as beautiful and atmospheric at the same time. Vocal-wise Mavradoxa lets us hear atmospheric vocals as well as screams on Lethean Lament, which is a very nice combo.

Mavradoxa delivers a great album with Lethean Lament. It is very guitar-oriented, music-wise as well as production-wise, but it isn't something which is annoying. This one is definitely recommend for atmospheric black metallers!

Reviewed by: Tim van Velthuysen

Review from Metalfan Zine

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 03:40:05 +0100

From: Metalfan Zine

Published: January 3, 2018

Original Link

Een band die onderdak vindt bij Hypnotic Dirge Records kan bij mij op bovengemiddelde interesse rekenen. Het piepkleine Canadese label heeft de afgelopen jaren bewezen een neusje te hebben voor goede undergroundartiesten, met name op het terrein van de atmosferische black en doom metal. Zo verschenen de afgelopen jaren kwaliteitswerkstukken van Frigoris, Neige Et Noirceur, Ov Hollowness, Netra en Galaktik Cancer Squad. Het Amerikaanse Mavradoxa heeft met het vorig jaar in eigen beheer uitgebrachte debuutalbum Sojourners blijkbaar zoveel indruk gemaakt dat het label de nieuwe full-length Lethean Lament voor het gezelschap op de markt brengt. Dat schept verwachtingen!

Het zijn verwachtingen die het tweetal uit de staat New York slechts ten dele weet in te lossen. Het fraaie, weemoedige intro Cicadan, dat is opgebouwd rondom een mooie vioolpartij, roept herinneringen op aan Agalloch. Daarmee lijkt een briljant album ingeluid te worden. Toch komt het potentieel, dat onmiskenbaar aanwezig is bij Mavradoxa, nog niet helemaal uit de verf, ondanks het vaak wonderschone, melancholische gitaarwerk. Daardoor blijft de band een beetje in de schaduw staan bij andere Amerikaanse groepen die zich in dit genre begeven (Oak Pantheon, Amiensus).

De lange, vaak bijna vijftien minuten durende nummers laten stuk voor stuk zowel de sterke als de wat minder ontwikkelde punten van deze band horen. Zo is het elf minuten klokkende The Phantom Visages lekker grimmig, waardoor het nummer doet denken aan het oude werk van Wolves In The Throne Room, Wodensthrone en Fen. Het gitaarwerk is erg mooi, maar het drumgeluid gooit roet in het eten. Het zelfs bijna achttien minuten durende Crimson Waves Of Autumnal Flame overtuigt dankzij het warmbloedige, akoestische klankentapijt dat verweven is in de melancholische black metal, maar kent ook een aantal cleane zangpassages die minder overtuigend zijn. De riffs zijn soms ook nog iets houterig (From Fog), waardoor ze een enkele keer sfeerverstorend werken.

Toch is Lethean Lament over de gehele lengte zeker geen verkeerd album. Met name de liefhebbers van het oude werk van Agalloch en Fen, als die door de schoonheidsfoutjes heen kunnen luisteren, zullen goed kunnen begrijpen waarom Hypnotic Dirge in deze band geïnteresseerd is. Met wat meer slijp- en schaafwerk kan Mavradoxa namelijk zeker in de voetsporen van zijn grote voorbeelden gaan treden. Ik ben dan ook benieuwd wat de toekomst in petto heeft voor deze groep uit Rochester, New York.

Rating: 75/100

Reviewed by: Rik

Review from The Headbanging Moose

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:52:14 +0100

From: The Headbanging Moose

Published: December 12, 2017

Original Link

Recorded in the spring of 2017, Lethean Lament, the second full-length installment by American Atmospheric Black Metal duo Mavradoxa, is not only a contemplative and majestic album that is expansive, atmospheric and melancholic, but it’s perhaps the best depiction in modern underground music of what’s commonly referred to as “Laurentian Black Metal”, being highly recommended for dreary and rain-soaked days during solitary walks, or in any moment of introspection. Formed in 2015 in the city of Rochester, New York, in the United States, the duo comprised of Nival (Zachary Smith) on vocals, guitar and bass and Lux (Monica Finger) on vocals and drums is sharper than ever in Lethean Lament, delivering long, progressive songs that flow with purpose where the atmosphere dictates and paints vivid stories in its movement and direction throughout the entire album, encapsulating a whirlwind of emotions from raw carnal aggression, nature reverence, despair, longing and bliss. Featuring contributions by violinist Andy McGirr on the songs “Cicadan” and “Across the Nival Grove”, and vocalist Makr Welden on the song “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame”, as well as a darkly distinguished and impactful artwork, Lethean Lament is honest and genuine Atmospheric Black Metal that beautifully carries on the tradition of bands like Agalloch, Waldgeflüster, Falls of Rauros and Obsidian Tongue.

In the opening track, titled Cicadan, the acoustic guitars by Nival generate the perfect atmosphere for the beyond pleasant violin by Andy to soothe our souls in a comforting and melancholic way, setting the stage for the 11-minute extravaganza The Phantom Visages, showcasing an avalanche of sluggish, somber guitars and beats by the talented duo, spiced up by harsher and more aggressive moments and also bringing elements from Black and Doom Metal, resulting in devilish Blackened Doom tailored for admirers of the genre. Furthermore, its mournful lyrics are effectively gnarled by Mavradoxa (“And soon into the graveyard’s maw the lustrous glow shall fade / Their echoing laments no longer stain the past / Their fleeting memories are borne to midnight rot / My lifeless frame upon the black tombstone is cast”), giving the entire song and even darker and more hypnotizing feel. Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame is the absolute soundtrack for wandering through cold landscapes by yourself with its almost 18 minutes of melancholic passages, introspective clean vocals by Mark Welden, gentle but piercing guitars by Nival and steady, mesmerizing beats by Lux. The music in this underground masterpiece of winter-like sounds keeps growing in intensity inside your mind, turning it into a one-way journey into darkness.

Exploring their more progressive and atmospheric vein, Mavradoxa hone their instruments to pierce our souls with their depressive sounds in Across the Nival Grove, where vocals couldn’t sound and feel more anguished, flowing through several layers of contrasting tunes and nuances until its climatic ending led by Andy’s ethereal violin. Then we have From Fog, a magnificent composition where you can sense the night and the cold embracing the desperate vociferations blasted by the duo (“Shivering, staring at haze from breath on a shattered mirror / Streaking through shadowy groves / Skeletal roots, an edifice… / but where am I?”) in an amazing display of modern Atmospheric Black Metal. In addition, the song offers the listener old school Black Metal blast beats by Lux and a metallic riffage by Nival in perfect sync with the dense ambience surrounding the music, flirting with Progressive Black Metal and, therefore, keeping the music always fresh, vibrant and gripping. And lastly, there’s nothing better than a serene acoustic outro, named Metanoia, to wrap up this voyage through the obscure and gelid kingdom of extreme music reigned by Mavradoxa.

All you need to do to brave the storm of idiosyncratic sounds found in Lethean Lament (which by the way is our album review number 500, and there couldn’t have been a better choice to celebrate that expressive milestone than this) is go to YouTube for a full listen at the album, follow Mavradoxa on Facebook, and buy your copy of the album at the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp or webshop (as a regular CD or as a CD + shirt + sticker bundle), as well as at Discogs. And after facing such distinguished tempest of emotions, from sheer aggression to moments of hope and melancholy, you’ll certainly place Laurentian Black Metal, especially the one masterfully crafted by Mavradoxa, as one of your top choices for your most isolated and meditative moments in life.

Rating: 3.5/5

Reviewed by: Gustavo Scuderi

Review from Teeth of the Divine

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 01:18:02 +0100

From: Teeth of the Divine

Published: November 29, 2017

Original Link

Hailing from Rochester, NY, duo Mavradoxa play a form of atmospheric black metal that would be right at home on Bindrune Recordings. It’s a woodsy, Agalloch rooted form of black metal akin to the likes of Falls of Rauros, Alda, Wodensthrone and such. However, it does not mean its as good as those bands.

While Mavradoxa check all the boxes for the style; acoustic segues, raspy vocals, deliberate atmospheric pacing, occasional violins and clean vocals, long rambling songs etc (the four actual songs range from 11 to 18 minutes), the actual quality of the song writing never fully reels you into the autumnal hues or verdant foliage, despite a valiant effort. Maybe it’s the more doomy throes and languid pace make everything drag on more (this is Hypnotic Dirge records after all), or maybe the songs are just not really that enthralling, but I’m not feeling this like many of their peers.

The 6 song, hour plus run time, requires your full attention, but the songs don’t keep it, even with a strong production. Case and point, opener (after intro “Cicadan”) “The Phantom Visages”, has a plodding, restrained first 8 or nine minutes and then tries to crescendo into a more urgent black metal gallop, but it has no real peak or climax or emotional grip that sinks into you. The album’s centerpiece, the almost 18 minute “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame”, wants so badly to lead your through the Fall forest, with some clean croons over delicate acoustics and some mid paced, proggy Agalloch-ish riffs, but again it never goes anywhere. I kept wanting the song to fully deliver and peak, but it never does. It comes sooooo close around 14 minutes in, gradually picking up. and teasing….. then back into mid paced meandering.

The duo wants to be deep and atmospheric, but instead it’s more meandering and unfulfilling. Thusly, the following long tracks the 15 minute “Across the Nival Grove” and 11 minute “From Fog” are left in the wake of unfulfillment, even with a nice little canter and great violin segment in the prior and solid little gallop to start the latter. More of these moments would have made the album far more memorable.

Hypnotic Dirge’s other release in this style, Obsidian Tongue‘s A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time , was a far more successful and memorable affair, but I’m glad the label continues to step out of their usual realms. With so many other options in the style, Mavradoxa , need to develop more song writing dynamics to compete, though there is some potential and skill here for improvement.

Reviewed by: E Thomas

Review from Metallifer Blog

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 02:02:45 +0100

From: Metallifer Blog

Published: October 18, 2017

Original Link

Mavradoxa est un duo américain fondé en 2015 et adepte du black metal atmosphérique. Aux manettes on trouve le chanteur / guitariste Nival qui était aussi bassiste dans d'autres groupes comme Malformed, Ancalagon, The Highest Leviathan. dans ces groupes Nival était bassiste et par moments aussi chanteur. suite à une certaine lassitude comme bassiste et en vue de développer pleinement son inspiration, Nival a trouvé dans le batteur (ou batteuse) Nox une compère pour démarrer le groupe Mavradoxa. et le succès ne s'est pas attendre puisque après le single Enshrouded in Dawn sorti en 2016 et comme autoproduction, Mavradoxa a sorti son premier album Sojourners (qui contient le single) toujours en 2016 via Nebular Winter Productions en format cd et cassette. la cassette limitée à 50 exemplaires a été vendue assez rapidement et il reste que le format cd.our ce deuxième album - ou comment on dit selon un cliché bien répandu "sophomore" - Mavradoxa a rejoint le roster du label Hypnotic Dirge Records. ce Lethean Lament est disponible en digital et en digibook en édition limitée à 300 exemplaires.

Pour comprendre la musique de Mavradoxa il faut l'écouter évidemment mais on peut aussi mettre côté à côte les pochettes des albums Sojourners (Mavradoxa) et The Mantle (Agalloch). Voilà ce qui est parlant!

Il y a une affinité entre Mavradoxa et Agalloch et on peut dire que Mavradoxa récupère à sa façon l’héritage de Agalloch. voici dans les mots de Nival ce qu'il a de mieux pour exprimer l'essence de l'album :

"J'avais envie d'expérimenter des cordes et d'autres instruments acoustiques pendant des années, mais c'était la première fois que cela devenait réalité. Pendant des années, j'ai été amoureux de "The Mantle" d'Agalloch, alors j'ai eu depuis longtemps l'envie de pousser notre musique vers ces éléments expansifs, que je trouve si exclusifs et captivants. Je veux dire, combien de chansons avez-vous entendu, dans lesquelles un crâne de cerf est utilisé pour la percussion? Il y a certainement quelque chose de hantant sur les parties de violon. Andy a fait un travail formidable, et je suis extrêmement reconnaissant qu'il ait pu se joindre à nous dans le studio. Je trouve que l'ajout de violon à l'instrumentation apporte une couche de profondeur et de texture extrêmes, en particulier lors de ces répétitions. Je pense que l'album serait beaucoup moins convaincant sans ces parties de violon."

Interview publié le 26 mai 2017 sur another metal review blog et traduite.

En effet pour Lethean Lament le duo Lux / Nivel a collaboré avec Andy McGirr qui a joué du violon sur les pistes Cicadan et Across the Nival Grove. Andy McGirr joue sous le pseudonyme de Hellskald comme chanteur / guitariste dans le groupe américain de black metal Hubris. Mark Welden a posé son chant sur le titre Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame. Mark Welden est le chanteur du groupe grindcore américain Blurring et aussi ex-Warblade.

Il n'y a pas grand chose à rajouter : Lethean Lament est un album majestueux de black metal atmosphérique. Ces titres longs se développent de façon obscure et cherchent à se frayer un chemin vers la lumière. Jamais banal, toujours très travaillé et soigné, c'est un album qui grandit écoute après écoute.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Cristiano Basso

Review from Infernal Masquerade Webzine

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 23:44:04 +0100

From: Infernal Masquerade Webzine

Published: October 17, 2017

Original Link

With Agalloch disbanding recently, it is time for a new band to take the throne to the best Atmospheric Black Metal outfit in the USA. With “Lethean Lament”, Mavradoxa makes their case to the throne. Unleashing over 60 minutes of highly engaging and intricate music, this release showcases the band’s creativity while unleashing very melodic and powerful songs.

Opening with the Empyrium-esque “Cicadan” acoustic guitar/violins intro, the band settles into their main sound with the crushing guitars of “The Phantom Visages”. With some very mellow and even ‘Doomy’ riffs, this song is quite engaging and sets a very melodic and sinister atmosphere. As a two-man operation, the band gets things quite heavy when needed with the harsh vocals and blistering riffs.

As our personal favorite, “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame” is definitely an opus thanks to its mysterious clean vocals and very ethereal vibe. Full of surprises and additional elements, while clocking in at nearly 18-minutes long, this track has a bit for everybody. With “Across the Nival Grove”, the band delivers a more typical onslaught with melodic passages and cool vocal arrangements that is quite engaging and diverse and showcases the band’s stamina.

Just when you think things are going to mellow down, “From Fog” unleashes one last barrage of crafty riffs, intricate drum patterns and funky guitar leads. The album closes with another acoustic piece “Metanoia” and just before you know it, you will find yourself playing it all over again. Overall, “Lethean Lament” is a great sophomore release from a very promising band that is full of ideas and direction. If you like bands like Fen, Agalloch, etc., you will certainly enjoy Mavradoxa.

Rating: 87/100

Reviewed by: Dark Emperor

Review from New Noise Magazine

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:33:31 +0100

From: New Noise Magazine

Published: September 18, 2017

Original Link

For Rochester, NY based two-piece doom metal band Mavradoxa, everything in their sound seems to inhabit a lingering sense of cataclysm.

Turns out that the first impression of Lethean Lament is the right one. Take just one glance at the song list and their sophomore effort looks like a marathon of an album, those six tracks totaling just over an hour. That number is deceiving though, considering that the first “Cicadan” a dark acoustic intro clocks at less than four minutes and the last less than two. The middle sprawl is comprised of four majestic, atmospheric doom metal tracks that draw more on a wealth of curiosity around mood and tone than strung together beads in a continuous nightmare.

On guitar and bass, Nival charges out of the gate on the second track, “The Phantom Visages” one of the fiercer pieces. The chords are punishing and the bleak vocals that sit up front are suitably anguished. The grimy centerpiece of the album (and what might be the “single” here) is “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame” a smutty bead that runs upward of eighteen minutes spun off of an epic instrumental build up. The patiently written acoustic intro eventually collapses into crushing riffs and a cascade of rattling vocals that are at once vibrant and unsettling before the gradual run out. On “Across the Nival Grove” they reprise the strings from track one, lending complexity and depth to the album’s most abrasive leads. Perhaps less compelling is the penultimate track, “From Fog” which feels a little out of breath, wrapping some folk metal elements in, although its excesses are earned and, on its own, the track stands as fairly decent.

Mavradoxa ends on a short, “Metanoia” the second introspective acoustic instrumental. The bookends keeps the sense that Lethean Lament is about something out in front of me, a cycle or life process greater than the sum of its parts perhaps, although I cannot quite put my finger on what that is. It really doesn’t matter though. The main tracks are dense and display a unique gift for dynamic, heavy songwriting, each one suggestive of a unique world and the band ultimately comes off as confident enough to let their peerless sense of tonal curiosity lead.

Lethean Lament can push on a lot of neo-metal-head buttons at once, while not necessarily trying too hard to push on the boundaries and the result is a must listen.

Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Erick Mertz

Review from Metal Temple

Sat, 09 Sep 2017 00:48:16 +0100

From: Metal Temple

Published: September 6, 2017

Original Link

MAVRADOXA is an Atmospheric Black Metal band that formed in Rochester, New York, USA in 2015. They released their debut “Sojourners” in 2016, and now have followed that up with “Lethean Lament” here in 2017. The new album contains six tracks, and a running length of just over 53 minutes. From the band’s Facebook page, their interests are in “trees and rocks and such.” “Cicadan” seems to emulate the sounds of nature through violin and acoustic guitar. The sounds of the cicada buzzing their wings fades in at the end to cap off the visual. “The Phantom Visages” has that muted Black Metal sound, droning riffs and varied vocals fry. It’s a depressing affair that extends over 11 minutes. The variation in the riffing keeps the long track moving forward smartly, but it still retains a core vision.

“Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame” is an eighteen minute ode no doubt referencing the sheer beauty of the fall season in Northeastern America. Sometimes the colors are so bright they seem to defy nature. Following an enchanting acoustic intro, the leisurely pace allows the frail beauty to envelop you. Going with clean vocals here in the beginning was a good choice because it compliments the sound nicely. When the harsh vocals come in, the song picks up pace and is menacing as it should be. You don’t notice the length of the track until it ends because there is shifting along the way to keep your interest. “Across the Nival Grove” is another lengthy piece, at over fifteen minutes. Despondent and vulnerable, it’s like desolation creeping into your mind and the solace of loneliness that darkens your heart. I’ve always maintained that there is beauty in sadness and this song is a great example of that.

“From Fog” is a little shorter and more hasty and ruthless from the start. It still retains some of the Atmospheric sound but is more of a straightforward Black Metal sound, with meaty vocal snarls and more guitar presence. It builds towards the end in alternating layers before the sound drops off instrument by instrument until the last drum strike ends. The two minute instrumental “Metanoia” closes the album. The soft acoustic guitar announced the return of hope and all things that grow into the world again, warming you from the inside out. At least this is how I interpret the sound. The great thing about the album as a whole is that personal insight it gives you to illustrate the meaning for yourself. Fierce enough for purists, and diverse enough for those who want to explore some territory off the beaten path, MAVRADOXA’s “Lethean Lament” is an excellent album that I recommend to all fans of the genre.

Songwriting: 8

Originality: 7

Memorability: 7

Production: 6

Overall Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Dave "That Metal Guy" Campbell

Review from Ave Noctum

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 17:49:15 +0100

From: Ave Noctum Webzine

Published: August, 6, 2017

Original Link

Lethean Lament’ is the second album from New York-based atmospheric black metal duo Mavradoxa, and just like the excellent ‘Reclaim The Darkness’ album from Australian band King last year, it’s a massive slab of nature-obsessed majesty.

Surprising and dynamic, Lux (drums, vocals) and Nival (guitars, bass, vocals) have crafted a passionate and forceful record, that even at a running time of just over an hour, holds the attention with its boldness and tangible sense of yearning. Not to mention crisp production.

It may begin acoustically, but this is no exercise in dreary black gaze. It may speak of the earth, the water, and man’s longing to connect with it, but the music is still brutal and heavy. With enough melody to provide a rich listening experience.

The band is also clearly in no hurry, as ‘The Phantom Visages’ slowly unfolds its many considered riffs and tempos.

Nival’s passionate and hoarse vocals suit the music down to the ground, and when they are matched with Mark Welden’s clean vox on the truly epic ‘Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame’ and further voice from drummer Lux, the effect is pretty stunning.

The combination of male/female vocals also provides a choral tone to ‘Across the Nival Grove’, which works well with the almost goth-sounding lead guitar, and with some violin added to the snaking riffs, the track achieves an extra vagabond feel.

The Satyricon-flavoured ‘From Fog’ and the mellow acoustic picking of ‘Metanoia’ brings to a close an album than can be considered an immersive hour long journey rather than merely a collection of songs.

…and you’ll be surprised at how quickly the time goes.

‘Lethean Lament’ is an excellent release. Mighty metal, but with an ethereal folk sensibility.

…Cool logo too!

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Stuart Carroll