lista zespołów Pagan Black 1837 Prologue

Review: 1837 – Prologue, Release Date:; May 2010

Nowadays I do not even pretend trying to listen to everything new that comes out in Black Metal, as such has long become superfluous: The Scandinavian “Founding Fathers” of the genre for most part having gone to the dogs and being drained of new creative impulses and 90% of the new outfits not venturing beyond the copycat status. However, I tend to make exceptions for new bands from Russia, Ireland and Canada, as among them every now and then a few original outfits spring up that bring, badly needed, new creative blood into the genre. In that way I came upon “1837”, and although they apply black metal dogma’s also, their sound is kind of innovative.

1837 is indeed a very new outfit, being formed only last year and the EP that is the subject of this review, so far, being their only release. The band comes from Montreal, Quebec, so the French speaking part of Canada. It is so far a three piece group and in that not yet fully equipped for performing live. Focal point around which the band revolves is clearly multi-intrumentalist Ian D. (aka Herr Kvaarthan) who takes care for vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, drums and folk instruments. Further members are; Damon Krieg, vocals and bass and Artos, guitar.

The style of 1837 is generally described as “Pagan Black Metal”, a term that always brings a smile to my face as apart for some Satanists, (and ignoring a few handfuls of neo-nazi and Christian infiltrators), Black Metal IS pagan. So, to further define them, given the fact that the band uses folk instruments rather prominently, I prefer to classify their sound as Folk Black Metal. In that they are fairly successful in creating an identity for themselves, quite different from most European outfits active in the style at present.

Being so very new on the scene, it would be unfair to immediately expect a stylistic landslide from the band and that is indeed certainly not what they are presenting on this debut CD, vocals for a major part being sung in the well known shrieking BM way, (But I must emphasize that Kvaarthan has a most suited an powerful voice for this type of vocals). Also, the guitar work and rhythm section in the main part of the songs keep mostly to well-tried BM conventions. The innovative is to be found in the overall structuring of the songs, the transition parts and most of all the clever and often unexpected use of folk instruments such as violin and accordion.


NAME, SLEEVE DESIGN, PRODUCTION & RELEASE

So far I haven’t been able to figure out what the name “1837” exactly refers to, but it seems to me that it must somehow have something to do with some historical event of which I am so far ignorant. Would anyway be in the line of expectation, given that a lot of BM is about history. The title of the album, “Prologue” is fortunately a lot easier to explain for me. It indicates that the band considers this first production just as a intro to greater things they have in mind for the future. And in that one can only say that the band is on the right track: In the cutthroat competition that the modern music scene presents, lack of ambition is a 100% sure reason for an early demise of any band. The times that one only had to look wild enough and produce the right kind of noise to net fat record contracts is long past and will never return.

The sleeve design of “Prologue” falls equally well with me. Set on a background of pitch black it features a beautiful and detailed pencil drawing of an owl in a moonlit, shadowy forest, in all likeliness just about to descend on some kind of prey rodent. On the four corners of the pictures there are well drawn, identical black and white ornament drawings. The top of the front sleeve features the bands logo, which, although not bad, is not of great originality. Below the drawing there is the album title in gothic letters, but of a legible type. Such nature oriented album art always goes well with me. Although not many BM bands have ventured so far to call themselves “Progressive”, a lot of them are concerned with respect for nature and closer identification with it and I say that in a time of wholesale environmental destruction such per definition IS progressive.

This EP was released on the label “Hymnes Patriotiques” and I must honestly confess that this is the first time I heard of it. So far as I could find out it is a very tiny company indeed, maybe even a side activity of the band itself. But, whatever is the case, they have done quite a fine job in the production of this record. Although it might not be the top of the bill in the absolute sense, all about the production has been done satisfactorily, especially the mixing has been performed in an intelligent and skilful way.


THE TRACKS

The first song on the EP, “Epitaphe des Nobles Guerriers” is in many respects the most traditional black metal track of the album, but it also shows immediately some of the bands special characteristics. The Intro sets out with a short piece of horn blowing with a crashing thunderstorm in the background before a razor-sharp guitar sets in and not long after the rhythm section joining up with it. The thing that quickly strikes you is that this first part is rather slow compared with most other black metal. Also the repetitive way the guitar is handled reminds one of the earlier Burzum recordings. So do the shrieking vocals, with the remark that they are somewhat deeper and more voluminous. Anyway, in the second part of the song they show that they intend in no way to be copy cats, and the speed and intensity of the sound as well as the vocals are brought up to par with more contemporary BM standards. Good song but so far nothing special.

“Le Vieux Chene” that follows, with a duration of 5:17 is a somewhat longer track, which has a most untypical intro of almost undistorted guitar and bass, backgrounded by soft cymballing, before the song explodes into its very heavy and very fast main part. Vocals this time are extremely distorted and are shrieked at the top of voice. Halfway in the song, keyboards begin more and more to give the track a folky flavor and while vocals as well as guitar are gradually tuned back, accordion joins in to create a more and more folk like character. Much better than the first track, as the bands own distinctiveness comes clearly into the picture.

If one wasn’t convinced by now that the band has something to show for itself, the less than three minutes long “Je me Souviens (Partie 1)”, will take away your doubts for good. Over crashing thunder and lashing rainfall a mesmerizing violin tune sets in, which in the progress of the song first gets accompanied by and later being totally replaced by equally mind-boggling accordion. Guitar and bass are only used as soft background accompaniment, thunder and rain returning in full vigor during the final notes of the song. A lover of the odd folk metal, I can only say that this is pretty brilliant.

The over seven minute long title track “1837” with which the EP closes, continues with thunder, rain and a very sad sounding violin for its intro, before guitar and rhythm section take over, but this time violin and accordion continue deep into the track. Although a rather fast black metal schedule is maintained though the middle part and again vocals are distorted, loud and shrieking, the instrumental sound wall never closes and as one almost starts to expect, in the latter part, the gaps are being filled in more and more again by wailing, sad folk instruments. To avoid getting boring with such a long song, several transitions are made in the second half, with some deep, almost spoken, bright vocals at a certain moment, (Unfortunately my French is insufficient to make out what is said). Another very good and intelligently composed song.


CONCLUSIONS

If all new bands in the genre would pull of their debuts like 1837 did with this production, black metal would have little to worry about for the time of being, (Reality is however, unfortunately, different). What was presented here on this EP, shows an energetic young band that seems to posses the skills as well as the ideas to one day get far with their music. From me they get 18 out of 20 for this debut, (those who know my reviews longer, will be aware that that includes 1 extra, encouraging, point for new bands). Really looking forward to a full length production of the band!