By Willie Cross
As part of their apparent mission, Graveborne are working to resurrect the classic black metal sounds of yesteryear. On their second full length album, Through the Window of the Night, they conjure their Scandinavian heritage to offer something deathly similar to the likes of Mayhem and early Behemoth.
The band was founded in 2009, and soon independently released an EP entitled Astride Over the Grave. In 2011, Graveborne released their first LP, Pure Negativity, with new vocalist Raato. The album is a chilling whirlwind of black metal that very clearly showed what the band was capable of. WithThrough the Window of the Night, Graveborne further prove their talent and mastery of the traditional elements of black metal. The album is a violent, uncompromising stream of dark, grisly music that grips the listener and does not let up for a single moment.
The first track, 'Burn the City of God' charges through the gates with a swift, bludgeoning intro from founding member and drummer Pentele. With that, Through the Window of the Night is off with a boom. It sets the pace for the rest of the album, with each song taking no time for lengthy intros or drawn out reprises. Graveborne opts for the quicker and more deadly brand of black metal, with most songs clocking around four minutes each.
After the head banging roil of 'Burn the City of God' is through, Graveborne shift immediately into even higher gear. The third track, 'Root of Evil' contains some of the hookiest riffs on the album. While Pentele blasts away, guitarists Marchosias and Brutalust thrash through shifting chords reminiscent of viking metal. Bassist Kalmo’s frenetic plucking somehow manages to keep up with the rest of the group’s pace, effortlessly matching the guitarists’ progressions on 'Root of Evil'.
Vocalist Raato is at his most brutal and on point on Through the Window of the Night. His grisly screams are set just right in the cacophony, adding just the perfect amount of chaos to each track. 'Pyhää Verta' is a standout track that features guest lyrical and vocal support from …Of Oceans’ K-2T4-S. Raato and K-2T4-S trade vocal duties back and forth as the song charges on until an unforeseen yet welcome sluggish reprise chugs in. The change in pace calls for a pair of devil horns held high and proud.
Fogwarnings resound throughout the end of 'Todkrieg', leading into the album’s closer, 'Men Behind the Sun'. The finale features Marchosias and Brutalust tearing through their most diverse and varied compositions. The song is a fitting end to a thunderous album that rains down upon the listener hard and fast, and never lets up. Through the Window of the Night is a furious LP that sounds just as classic as it does refreshing for the black metal genre.
Graveborne’s career so far has been marked by an uncompromising and vicious vision of resurrecting only the most frigid history of black metal. On Through the Window of the Night, the band further proves their role as some of the most malicious conjurers in the genre.
