Vindalf’s previous full-length album, ‘Ancient Spell Of Darkness’ was one of the best Black Metal albums from South America that I had heard in a long time. It wove together atmospheric Black Metal in grandiose fashion with Dungeon Synth and early 00’s Dark Ambient, with the piano playing a major role. In my review, I cited Dimmu Borgir’s first two albums as something that could be taken in mind to get an idea of how it was forged, without sounding directly like it. This naturally made a new album be welcomed with open arms, something we thankfully didn’t have to wait too long for because a year after that wonderful second album, here we have ‘Legion Of Spectral Blood’.
And, to get right to the point, this latest album is clearly in the direct musical extension of its predecessor. With this, the expectations raised with the previous album are fully met. However, this is without calling ‘Legion Of Spectral Blood’ an uninspiring copy of previous success. While the early 00’s Dark Ambient elements are still present, the previously vaunted piano is now omitted. In contrast, Count Vindalf puts forward a somewhat Martial-sounding kind of Dungeon Synth/Dark Ambient that seemingly can be interwoven with the riff-based Black Metal at least as well. The album as a whole therefore falls effortlessly under the banner of Chilean Black Metal, where the oppressive production goes hand in hand with razor-sharp and hypnotic riffs.
Despite some obvious differences, the recognisable sound is where the connection with the band’s previous work specifically and the South American continent’s rich Black Metal scene in general lies. ‘Legion Of Spectral Blood’ is a new culmination of what is brewing in those regions, although the whole thing is based on a distinctly European template (Darkthrone, Gorgoroth and Dodheimsgard are never very far away), they have put their own impressive spin on it. That own twist, incidentally, manifests itself not only in the musical quality, but the endless stream of good releases does not fail to impress either. In short: with the previous ‘Ancient Spells Of Darkness’, Vindalf already more than managed to arouse interest, with this latest album, the lone soul behind this band adds a significant swing. Needless to say: this is highly recommended!
