Velnias - Sovereign Nocturnal (2008)

I first came across the Boulder, Colorado based band, Velnias sometime in 2007 when I randomly took a chance and bought their debut demo, 'Pacing the Cyclic Nether.' I remembered enjoying it quite a bit and when I found out that one my favorite labels, God is Myth Records would be releasing their debut full-length I was quite stoked and as it turned out, 'Sovereign Nocturnal' was absolutely brilliant.

Cataloged as blackened folk/doom metal, in my opinion Velnias dwells much more on the doomy side of town because to me simple acoustic parts in any given song are not always necessarily enough to call a band folk metal or folk influenced. After all you wouldn't call Opeth a folk metal band, right? Having said that, there are many blackened elements which prove the tag as being valid, especially the vocals which are delivered in a raspy blackened voice as well as a typical low guttural doom roar. Also only three songs grace this release, but each is over twelve minutes for a total playing time of forty one minutes.

What seems to be the constant throughout these three long songs is the absolute level of emotion that is put on display as well as the immense amount of detail the listener has to allow so he/she doesn't miss anything. As this album is largely doom one might expect the emotional response to be the typical depressive characteristics the genres is known for, but Velnias is doing something different here. To me this record sounds much more foreboding and apocalyptic in style and perhaps that's due to the black metal elements or the sudden speedier bursts within these songs. Also I have to admit this album works quite well whilst wondering through nature and as such it might appeal to the Agalloch, Falls of Rauros, Wolves in the Throne Room or even Opeth crowd.

As for paying attention, well, you'll definitely have to give this baby a few spins before it all clicks in. You'll have to listen to it on different stereos in different places and under different conditions and moods. I'd also have to recommend trying it out with a good set of head phones just so you don't miss any of the finer details lurking within and believe me they are there.

The guitars and bass are all very powerful in their sound, delivery and melody whilst similarly you could say the drums are executed wonderfully in their intensity and precision. 'Sovereign Nocturnal' comes housed in a thin digipak, with superb artwork, although without any lyrics, but the band describe their music as, "An entity in opposition to this misguided and failing modern world. The music is a reflection of man’s falling and the grandeur of that which he has forsaken."

In the end Velnias' debut was surely one of the best albums released in 2008 and is absolutely a must for anyone that might fancy any of the bands mentioned earlier or just a strange mix of doom and black metal.