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Vindalf – Ancient Spell Of Darkness

vindalf – ancient spell of darkness

Info

After having released a couple of singles/EP’s Vindalf released its debut album in 2021 and sees its return a year later with no less than two albums that saw the dark of night almost simultaneously. Since ‘Entrance To The Catacombs’ is entirely comprised of Dungeon Synth we will be putting our focus on ‘Ancient Spell Of Darkness’; an album of a truly grand magnificence.

Count Vindalf, the musical brain behind this one-man Black Metal band from Chile, definitely knows his craft. While lots of Black Metal bands that incorporate elements of Dungeon Synth or Dark Ambient have a hard time making it flow naturally in each other, that is certainly not the case with Vindalf. On the very contrary, his talent to weave together those two separate genres into a mesmerizing and truly compelling, other dimensional experience is stunning. While musically not completely comparable, the evoked ambiance throughout the album reminds of the first two albums of Dimmu Borgir. Strongly organic in character, with fierce riffing, proud melodies and an icy cold vocal delivery. But it is not only the alluring synths and the equally enchanting piano that leave a big impression, it is also the overall sound that is decidedly impressive.

Back to the piano intermezzos and the synthesizer backdrops, they are not merely used as filler material or as some mandatory musical elements. They actually contribute to the overall sound and propels it to greater, almost unique heights – to an unmatched level of authenticity, even. It is not uncommon for Dungeon Synth passages to go on a bit too long or simply come across as a bit uninspired, with the result that the focus slackens and the effectiveness of the music seriously weakens. So this is certainly not the case with ‘Ancient Spell Of Darkness’, but without depths, no heights. That translates, in this case, that the beautiful and atmospheric calmer passages are interspersed with nicely sharp, but equally organic-sounding Black Metal riffs, with Count Vindalf’s icy screech completing the overall picture.

For now, ‘Ancient Spell Of Darkness’ has only been released on CD, but, if I am well-informed, it should appear on vinyl too – sometime. And while we all damn the long queues at the vinyl press, it will come as no surprise, but I am completely sure it will be well worth the wait. But, if you prefer CD or a digital release instead, then nothing stands in the way of you to strike immediately.

Vindalf

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