Will Stronger than Death

I have been one to follow Graveland's discography closely since Carpathian Wolves. When talking about the band's work (notably their post-Following the Voice of Blood albums) Bathory-styled Viking metal often gets mentioned to describe the bulk of Graveland's output. And yes that is an accurate description befitting Rob Darken's material with Graveland for the last eleven years with Hammerheart worship in particular. But there are also other bands who themselves were black/Viking metal Bathory influenced to have inspiration found in Graveland albums; chiefly Borknagar, Enslaved and Immortal. The influence of those Norwegian bands have tended to be more immediately present in albums like Creed of Iron and Dawn of Iron Blades (clearly Darken is dedicated to infusing his album titles with plenty of that vitamin) more than Bathory's Hammerheart than one might think. But yeah, for all intents and purposes, Hammerheart features quite prominently in latter Graveland albums. My point being that they are not so much the facsimile to Bathory as early Bathory and early Sodom were to Venom. The musical differences between Graveland's Viking metal and what Quorthon produced is that clean singing and the Manowar-isms aren't really found in Rob Darken's band.

The reason why I bring all this up is none other than to point out how the album of this review stands apart from all of Graveland's previous Viking metal albums since Rob Darken is said to be repeating himself with more "Hammerheart worship" like before. And they would be right but with Will Stronger Than Death, he repeats himself successfully yet again and I feel that this album is the one to sound the closest to that very, very awesome 1990 Bathory classic (although there will be some who feel this is more of Darken's answer to Twilight of the Gods).

NOTE:The preceding album to Will Stronger Than Death is Fire Chariot of Destruction which I have at present not heard (apparently it is Graveland's weakest album) but since Rob Darken is so consistent almost to a fault, comparing one album to another often many times cannot be avoided.

I did quite enjoy Dawn of Iron Blades but I still felt it was stale and Darken had indeed hit a wall and was in need of a jolt to invigorate his Viking themed work. And while he still hasn't broke through that wall altogether, Will Stronger Than Death is certainly the needed zap from the hammer of Thor to make at least a large dent of an impact for progress. I wasn't expecting this album to be a return to Thousand Swords era black metal and it isn't but wouldn't you know, Rob Darken does cameo some of that album's Celto-pagan black metal riffs in a couple of the songs. I can tell he took more time out in developing this record than the last couple of releases too. Not that I am complaining about his Viking metal albums. They are awesome. Is this his best of them? I would have to say that it is second only to Immortal Pride among the Wotan albums.

Fire Dragon of Black Sun blazes off like the song title creature would. The choral synths in this song are vital for epic enrichment. Grand and mythical are words to describe it. Rob Darken is not at all a technical type musician but he is a master compositionist who knows which details to get right. He can pull from his strengths in open chord guitar riffs and construct a song with moving classical keyboard passages and chaotic drumming akin to what was on Blood Fire Death. The same formula is used the same way on every song without it getting old. It all sounds so gloriously battle hungry and violent. Throne of the Granite, the beginning track and Victoria Divina are the songs that evoke the Thousand Swords tease that I spoke of.

I was watching a documentary on History Channel called Clash of the Gods. The episode of the show was detailing Norse mythology. When it came to the part describing Ragnarok, I immediately thought of the song Battle of the Giants. I think a track like this depicts that myth better than any show. And that was a good program but Graveland with the lyrics and berserk song structures portraying godly war waging with blood red apocalyptic eruptions in the periphery tells me all I need to know when interested about Ragnarok. All this action and story telling truly was brought to life with this song. All the nuts and bolts going in the mix worked harmoniously but after hearing this song many times I only came to the realization that drums were the part that emphasized it all. Indeed, these are programmed drums but they are done proficiently and are convincing enough to seem lively; a welcome improvement to the ones that plagued Graveland's 2004 LP.

On the downside, the sound of the production is a little disappointing. I don't know why it sounds this low. It's not like its been done this way for every single Graveland album. There is so much richness in the arrangements that I wanted it to just fly out with grand volume on its own but it's too lo-fi. Just because Bathory's Blood Fire Death album suffered that problem doesn't mean this album has to too. Another thing I have to criticize even though it doesn't figure into the music quality is the album cover. I guess the art style is a clever design in it's own way but some of it doesn't make sense even if it's depicting something fantastical. I guess the warrior's legs being ascended on the mare are straddled over on the otherside of it but this is all not drawn well enough to make his positioning immediately obvious. And as for the valkyrie bringing up the rear, am I missing something here besides her legs? Using a shield to shield the lower half of her body? Memo to Rob Darken: commission an associate or fan with great artistic ability to do an album cover that does this near excellent record justice. Usually the people who collect Graveland albums(me among them) are completists and so I feel compelled to comment on even these details in a review. Especially considering these albums are not the easiest to come by.

Will Stronger Than Death was an album that I needed almost a month of constant playing to evaluate fully and objectively. Like I said, these Viking metal Graveland albums are packed tight with cohesion sometimes at the expense of sounding the same if you pop in a new one expecting to have it blow you away on first spin. And this did sound alot different than the last one I was playing all the time yet it wasn't in anyway a whole new direction or reversion to the albums from the nineties. Usually, a person decides that if it doesn't sway you after some twenty plays, then it won't render any different verdict. I liked this album when I first popped it in but it got better each ten revolutions. I ended up appreciating the song Apocalypto more even if for a while there I thought it was the dullest song on the list. What did win my heart the day I heard it was Shadows of the Past. It was rewarding to hear that sweepingly epic Viking metal song close out the record though I wish it would have done a fade close rather than just an end play halt. That aside, Shadows just gets my blood boiling with visualizations of prideful Viking victory and glory; everything I love with the chaotic guitar tone serving as a backdrop to the chorus procession and the epic torrent of beats attacking couldn't have been more appropriate to such a finale. Forge on, Eastclan Forge! You've done fans of Hammerheart proud!

Eleventh album for the immortal, unstoppable Rob Darken and the pagan behemoth called Graveland. His last abum, Fire Chariot Of Destruction was a thundering metal masterpiece, so I was excited to get this one. I even managed to obtain it the same year it came out this time – a personal coup for me, Graveland CDs being notoriously difficult to get hold of.

While I can't say this is as flawless as Fire Chariot, this album is still an almighty stomper of a recording. The guitar tone is a bit rounded off and not as visceral as last time, but there is more bass in the mix, and so the album still has a lot of kick. One thing that really jumps out here is that the drum production is a lot different, with a louder high-hat and a more upfront mix. It takes some getting used to, and if you have crappy speakers it sounds very tinny, so make sure you play this on good headphones or real quality speakers. Overall the sound is good, and I have to give Rob credit for not just remaking the last album.

That said, I don't find the songwriting as compelling as I did last time out. While this is still a very strong album, it is more pugilistic and does not wield the melodic power of past works like Memory And Destiny or The Fire Of Awakening. Will Stronger Than Death is a solid disc, with a faster, more aggressive style than the last few, but altogether I don't think it stands up there with the best Graveland albums. Worthy.

Originally written for www.metalcrypt.com

Graveland is still going strong, despite the fact that Rob has made at lest ten albums and that he is alone making the music. Very few Viking/black metal bands or bands is general can compete with the polish act.
In the early days Graveland was a raw black metal band with highly developed national socialist ideas, but as time changes so does the will and minds of human beings, thus Graveland changed to.
Rob Darken rejected most of his Nazi ideas but he still believes in racial superiority as far as I know and his music became more epic and more Wotanism orientated.

The album starts with a really good song named “Fire dragon of black sun”. The song starts with a melody that is rather good and it continues for about 4 minutes. After that another melody that is slower approaches. This one is one of the best parts during the whole album, it is a shame that it only lasts for one and a half minute though. Afterwards the first melody starts again but now it is played a little faster and after about two minutes it suddenly stops.

The second song is “Throne of the Granite” and it is a really good track. It is a little heavier than the first song and it starts with a quite slow but heavy riff that is later played faster. The riffs shift constantly throughout the song from a slow riff to a faster version of it. Darkens voice and the keyboards comes and goes like the wind itself and despite the songs monotonous feel it never gets boring!

The third song, “ Battle of the Giantes” is one of the most heavy songs in the album. The first riff is a monotone and very heavy one. In the beginning of the song it almost feels as if an army of giant warriors marches towards you. After a short while the song riff changes and gets heavier while slowly accelerating. Later in the song the keyboards kick in and what a feeling they give to the music! If I close my eyes while listening I can see to armies running towards each other. The keyboards stop after a while and the heavy riff starts again. The battle has begun! This riff continues for the rest of the song but is from time to time improved with either keyboards or choir.

The fourth song is named “Fire and Snow” is according to me the whole album’s crowning moment. It starts of with a great riff that despite its speed is rather heavy. After about half a minute the keyboards play and I’m completely astonished! The riff structure is the same throughout the song but it is either played rather fast or improved by choir or keyboards. The song’s feeling differs from the others on the album because it is more desperate. It feels as if you are abandoned by someone that your survival depends on. Despite that it doesn’t feels like any suicidal black metal, but more like a march through an endless forest filled with enemies. It shares characteristics with the other songs though, the riff is rather simple and to make it sound more varied it is played in different speed.

The fifth song Apocalyptico and it is rather fast. The riff is as usual simple and monotonous but its speed is varied throughout the song and moments of choir and keyboards are not unusual. Despite that the riff doesn’t sound very different than the other songs it is still a worthy song. At first I thought that this song wasn’t good but now I do. It is very similar to the other songs because the style is the same and that makes this song easy mistaken for another.

The sixth song that is named “Victoria Divina” and that means divine victory. It starts with a heavy riff that is a typical Graveland riff. The riff stands out more than the riffs in the other songs and that is quite pleasant since the album itself isn’t very varied. The song itself doesn’t have a certain feeling but is despite that rather good. I think it is sad that the song doesn’t communicate with the listener and that is the reason why it is the “worst” song on this album. With worst I don’t mean that it isn’t good, but a man like Darken should be able to do better!

The seventh and the last song is named “Shadows from the Past”. It begins with a really heavy riff that has a rather threatening feeling but is at the same time a little mysterious. Darkens vocals are absolutely glorious on this song and the keyboard playing is also marvellous. The song is also more varied than the others because of the different riffs that are played throughout the song. All of the riffs are very epic but not as catchy. I also noticed that this song is heavier than any other song on the whole album. It is absolutely a worthy ending for the album.

Will stronger than death is a very special album because of its sound. All the instruments sort of melt into each other and create a completely unique feeling. The music itself feels like a calm lake. Nothing sticks out of the surface and that makes the music rather special. As with all Graveland albums the songs have a sort of battle feeling. I would say that this is a worthy Graveland album, but not the best! Fans of the older Graveland might complain because this release is neither as epic as “Creed of Iron” nor as Raw as “Thousand Swords”. I was actually a little surprised when I first listened to the album because I really enjoyed “Creed of Iron” and I have since then wondered why Rob doesn’t make another album in that style, since it is absolutely the best one he has ever made.

Getting Graveland releases in a physical form in the US is very difficult, seeing as due to the NS nature of his music, and No Colors records being an underground polish label that likes to charge import fees. Many distributors don’t specifically stock the majority of his newer releases, so when I found Will Stronger than Death for sale someplace I was very excited, because finally I would be able to hear some of the new “epic” style of the more recent Graveland releases. When I did finally hear the disc, I was overjoyed to hear a nice change from the earlier releases, however if this album is a copy of some of his more recent albums (and how it compares to them) I really can’t be certain.

As a whole this album has some room for improvement. In terms of music this album is essentially 53 minutes of the faster segments from the ever so famous godly Bathory opus “Blood Fire Death”. What made that album special however was the contrast of the epic melodies and slower more somber passages. Sadly this album lacks the slow somber parts, so it’s a relentless assault of epic black metal riffs and nothing else, which after a while gets old.

The opening track “Fire Dragon of Black Sun” starts out with nice keyboard intro then explodes into the bombastic epic thunderstorm which lasts for pretty much the entire album. The keyboards show up again at many later intervals later in the album to add to the epic atmosphere of the album.

Everything after the first track pretty much sounds the same. The guitars are heavily distorted so you get the poisonous kind of solos found on early Bathory albums. In terms of memorable riffs, well there all the riffs on this CD sound very similar so I really couldn’t distinguish one from another, which was somewhat disappointing.

The drum patterns on this album really help give the album the “epic battle” atmosphere, which judging on the albums artwork (with much better Photoshop work this time around) was the main goal. For a machine the work is rather good, I can tell that it’s programmed, but the mix turns most of it down so it is at a nice tolerable level, not as robotic as later Running Wild albums.

Whoever mixed the vocals into this really should have turned there volume up. This album loses a lot of points simply because the main vocals are not turned up, so you can hardly hear them. The choirs sound okay (when they are used), but Darkens vocals are hard to hear. I can usually differentiate between songs based on the lyrics (even when the whole album sounds the same), so this was a tremendous disappointment.

In closing; this album is good but missing a few things. I wish that a couple of the filler songs would have been taken out and a couple of instrumentals would have been composed and used instead, so the good songs (specifically “Apocalypto” and “Victoria Divina”) would get a better chance to stand out more.

Graveland is without a doubt on the most prolific Pagan/Viking/Black Metal bands ever. Perhaps the best Polish metal band period. But I have a gripe with the band sound in the past 5 years. It hasn't changed much. Darken seems to have been riding on auto pilot since 'Memory & Destiny. You can almost say that it's kind of derivative. On the positive side, when you sound so good doing a certain style and the music quality doesn't suffer, then by all means keep it up. I was eagerly awaiting this album and the cover looks great. The music is epic Pagan/Viking with Black Metal thrown in. The influences range from Bathory's 'Blood, Fire, Death' and 'Hammerheart' to Enslaved's 'Vikingligr Veldi' and 'Frost'.

So you have an idea of the musical content here. How's the quality and does it stand up to the back catalogue? Absolutely, Graveland doesn't disappoint with this release and the music is delivered with focus, precision and passion. I don't recall ever hearing a weak release from them. They definitely set the standard for other Pagan or Viking metal bands. Of the current bands in this category only Enslaved can rival them. All the songs are over 7 minutes except for 'Victoria Divina' which clocks in at just under 6 minutes. If you're a fan of 'Carpathian Wolves' or 'Celtic Winter' era Graveland you probably will have a hard time listening to this. I personally prefer this era myself and I would love to hear them do it again but I can still enjoy the music here. Graveland haven't changed much since 'Thousands Swords' so don't expect anything drastically different. The production here is fucking top notch, great battle hymns, choirs from the 'Atlantean Monumental Choir' and 'Ancient Valkyrian Choir' and it all adds to the epic atmosphere. He clearly takes this seriously and I applaud him for that. Great stuff. Polska Zawsze Biala!