ALBUM REVIEW: Bright & Black “The Album”
Tomorrow, a new album comes out, the self-titled release from Bright & Black.
There has long been a close link between metal and orchestral and traditional music, particularly in the Nordic scene. We have gorgeous traditional folk based material from the likes of Heilung and Wardruna (which was founded by Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, drummer in extreme black metal band Gorgoroth). Then there is ‘classical’ metal, whether it’s the orchestral delivery of metal, such as the cello quartet Apocalyptica, or operatic tones of the likes of Epica and Nightwish. It’s a wide and beautiful genre.
BUT, Bright & Black is something in that view, but very very different. Here we have writers firmly rooted in the metal scene, writing classical music. Not metal done in a classic style with riffs or guitars in sight, but 65 piece orchestra performing classical music infused with a whole sonic palette of sounds and styles.
Artists, musicians, composers and conductors all coming together as a collective to meld these styles together. The metal credentials could not be better, with contributions from the likes of Eicca Toppinen (Apocalyptica), Fredrik Åkesson (Opeth), Erik Danielsson (Watain), Tomas Haake & Dick Löfgren (Meshuggah), Nico Elgstrand (Entombed AD) and Kristjan Järvi.
Joined by the likes of producer Jacob Hellner (Rammstein, Clawfinger, Apocalyptica, Entombed AD among others) and performed by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic conducted by Kristjan Järvi, the visionary work is a serious contender for album of the year.
Check out a short video on the making of Bright & Black below:
The album has twelve tracks and starts with a 08:43 long opus in the form of Nidhugg which has a huge and atmosphere Wagner-esque stature to it with an interesting eerie horn and oboe (?) section. The scale of the opening is monumentous and has a darkness, a sense of impending doom.
Followed by Bloodgrind perhaps the closest to ‘metal’ in structure with a rapid fire black metal tonal structure and compose by Nico Elgstrand (Entombed). Amazingly, without the usual distortion, it works brilliantly and despite there being no vocalist, the instruments create a grinding raw ‘vocal’ sound. It’s chaotic and frantic.
The opening to Can’t Explain This, with it’s slow deep double bass (?) make me think of an even more evil and chilling version of Jaws. Its so ominous, and has a sorrowful, melancholic sense to it. As the track progresses, violins ease into the mix, slowly lighting the tone, lightening the track, as if
A new dawn is waking and the world blossoms. It sent shivers down my spine and for me is the highlight of the album.
Collateral Damage by Eicca Toppinen (Apocalyptica) is powerful and uses the cello magnificently, creating some epic sounds with distortion. Its cinematic and evocative and would fit magnificently in soundtrack. It made me think of wallachia and an epic on Dracula and the like with it’s military sounding snare creating a marching beat. Almost discordant and incredibly stirring.
The Secret is another cinematic masterpiece, with a wall of noise as it opens with a taiko drummer-esque slow heavy beat, joined by cello and snare, again creating almost a ceremonial slow march sound on an epic scale. Next up Erik Danielsson (Watain) gives us an emotional one to slow the album down. A moment of reflection in the shape of Mounts Of Misfortune. The initial lull gives way after about a minute to a rousing Nordic lament, very reminiscent of Watain. A track just oozing passion that builds and builds to a crescendo finale.
On Armies of the Preposterous we see the distinctive influence of Tomas Haake and Dick Lövgren from Meshuggahwith a rhythm heavy complex piece. Perhaps the most brutal and hard hitting track of the album it’s a beast of a track.
Again the pace changes with A World of Strange a slow lament with an otherworldly feel to it before From Dust and Mud rears into view like a thunderstorm with deep rapid violin playing and timani-like heavy rolling drums. A short one at only 01:35, but this is all about atmosphere.
Plucked violins ease us into And Flesh and Blood before the drums and orchestra hit us heavy and hard (well with a title like that it was never going to be ethereal of quiet lol) its operatic and dramatic in scale.
Midnite Son is simply stunning. Deep and rich tones it oozes out of the speakers towards the listener, almost carrying you over the mountains and plains. We end the album with End of All (kinda fitting!) which opens with layered violins; long slow drawn notes over plucked, before the cello joins. Slow and meaningful, it almost feels like it reaches out, and draws together the rest of the album, pulling it all in close as if to rest and sleep, with a beautiful violin solo while the orchestra create an almost synth like tone running underneath, before the album draws to a close with a deep cello slowly fading into the black. Beautiful.
WOW. I don’t have any better word to sum up “The Album” from Bright & Black.
I’ve love loved the aforementioned folk, traditional and orchestral inspired metal, but as I eluded to at the start this is something very different. It’s not a metal album at all, it is classical, but inspired by Nordic/Baltic legends and the tones and structures of Black / Metal.
New, exciting and simply stunning. My only criticism ? There’s not enough of it. One of y favourite live experiences was seeing the Heilung musical ritual which was stunning visually and sonically. Bright & Black is now top of my live experiences to see.
Quite simply its a 10/10 from LiveWire and an album that’s going to take something special to beat this year. Definately one to check out.
