Darkestrah - The Great Silk Road 2LP
$22.00
Darkestrah - The Great Silk Road 2LP
$22.00
What makes or breaks albums like this is pacing, and Darkestrah have a knack for getting the absolute most out of their lengthy compositions. The four main tracks on The Great Silk Road are all heavily riff-focused affairs that don’t need to lean on keyboards or samples to create an intense, epic atmosphere. At times slow and sorrowful, at others strong and triumphant, this album never feels boring in the least and in fact only seems to get better as it goes on, with the enormous eighteen-minute climax of “Kara-Oy” rivaling Moonsorrow in terms of sheer scope. While the length and depth of the tracks may put off casual listeners, those with a taste for Pagan sounding riffs and long narrative songs will be grinning from ear to ear throughout the duration of this beast.
Anyone who heard these guy’s excellent release Epos knows that Darkestrah is a tight, complete band who have no shortage of highly catchy riffs and are just as comfortable rocketing along with dark Wolves In the Throne Room style blasting as they are pulling back the reigns for slower, more atmospheric sections. Vocalist Kriegtalith (who just happens to be female) narrates the songs perfectly with a ghostly sounding rasp, bringing to mind a lonely hermit residing on a hillside, commenting on the huge smoldering battlefield that lies before her. When the outfit does utilize acoustic folk passages, as in “The Great Silk Road” and “Cult Tengri,” they function merely as a means to build tension, gathering the listener’s anticipation for the epic riff-workouts to follow. - Yourlastrites
Pressing Information
Shaytan Productions. Double Vinyl Gatefold. Limited to 300. 2014.
