The ever-restless and hardworking Deathwalker returns with his sixth full-length album with Nihil Invocation, not all too long after the 2-track demo from February this same year. That demo was meant as some sort of appetizer that already presented two tracks that would eventually also show up on the next record, which arrived to us in the form of ‘Crestfallen Stronghold’.
For those who had already heard those two demo tracks, the elements of surprise of ‘Crestfallen Stronghold’ might just not be there as much as to those who didn’t. But anyone who followed Deathwalker’s musical steps my not be startled anyway, as it most definitely is a logical continuation of the band’s earlier output, especially on the preceding ‘Blood Upon The Gates At Dawn’-album, released in 2013. The more rough and unpolished recordings from the band seem to be left further and further behind with each subsequent release.
‘Crestfallen Stronghold’ again is a step further on the band’s ongoing journey that feels like a development to new stages of musical maturity, especially when it comes to the song writing skills of Deathwalker. The music’s core might still be recognizable for those who have Nihil Invocation’s ealier works ingrained in their memories, Deathwalker is still basically forging his music in quite a minimalistic and bareboned fashion, but it is the musical backdrop and overall arrangements that leads to a significantly different output.
While it has been going on for a bit longer already, it was on ‘Blood Upon The Gates At Dawn’ that this metamorphosis was becoming most evidently clear. The more melodic approach revealed a different side of Deathwalker’s musical ambitions. On ‘Crestfallen Stronghold’ this evolution has been pushed further into a thoroughly more harmonious sort of compositions, in which there is space for both fast paced tremolo-like melodies as well as genuine Heavy Metal leads, take a listen to ‘Storms To Grace My Hollow Realm’ for instance. The result is a well-rounded whole that has a bit fresher and more versatile take on the sort of “classic” Nihil Invocation DNA.
The one-dimensionalism, as meant in a positive way, that has typified the previous releases is still pretty much there, but now manifests in the same sort of moody melodies that are stringed throughout every song, making the album sound like a cohesive whole. While I can imagine that not everyone who previously appreciated Nihil Invocation is equally satisfied with this musical development, it is definitely interesting to observe these steps forward. For me personally, this works extremely well and I consider ‘Crestfallen Stronghold’ a highlight in Deathwalker’s discography.
