The latest release from Milkweed Records is "Heed the Primal Calling", the debut EP from Lake of Blood, a promising southern California black metal act that I had never heard of before. Like many contemporary black metal acts, Lake of Blood doesn't exactly offer up much in the way of innovation: Their visual and lyrical aesthetics are quite similar to the rest of the genre (though the use of color on the front cover is a bit of a shift) in terms of dealing with a lot of bleak, murky forest landscapes and whatnot, and musically comparisons could be drawn to a number of other American/European acts within this realm. However, the songwriting certainly boasts an air of quality, and there are a number of very cool little riffs that, while comparable to some other artists, do tend to fall into the minority when it comes to what's most commonplace from the black metal genre as a whole. While present throughout, tremolo picking and blastbeats take a back seat to atmosphere and feeling, and that's always a plus, so you're more likely to be greeted by throbbing midpaced rhythms, driving chord progressions, melodic lead lines, intricate picking patterns, or even a few tactful keyboard intros (believe it or not). The only minor setback in my mind is that they need to do a little work on the recording quality. I don't mind the rawness at all, that obviously comes with the territory, but there's a little bit of "swooshiness" hovering about at times (and no, it's not due to the mp3 compression), and—more importantly—there's some separation between the elements in the mix, which can leave things sounding a little hollow. I can't really make out any of the basslines either, which could also be contributing to some of that. This is a very solid EP, though, and I think this band will have a lot to offer as they tighten things up and grow a little more into their own. Not bad at all. I'm quite curious to see what comes next...
Lake of Blood "Nameless I Arise"
Through this path ends existence. Through this path ends all boundaries of life... where rain falls eternal, cold as my heart. Through the mist I tread, past pillars of dying wood, to bring forth the journey's end into absolute darkness. Into infinite, incomprehensible black.
Purchase:
Comments
I really like the quality of riffs here; there’s something “non-black metal” about some of them that makes the whole affair much more interesting. But yeah, the recording is abysmal. The drums are mixed way too far back, to the point where the cymbals are the only prominent percussion element at times, and the guitars sound like MIDI instruments. Hopefully these guys can get a solid recording job one of these days.
8.7.2008 | By zg
I certainly wouldn’t call the sound “abysmal”. I actually don’t think it’s all that bad, just needs some tweaking here and there. More bass, evening out the levels, somewhat of a more natural warmth, etc.
8.7.2008 | By Andrew Aversionline
the sound of the recording is due to a mistake in recording with a complete retard that shall not be named.
8.7.2008 | By Doug Bowden
Good stuff. Webstore link doesn’t work for me, however.
8.11.2008 | By David
The link should work now. Looks like Milkweed redesigned their site just recently so the URL changed… thanks for the heads up!
8.12.2008 | By Andrew Aversionline