Remember the fist time you heard Opeth's Orchid or Morningrise albums, or when you first realized that a band like Swallow the Sun had plenty of death and black metal tricks up their doom sleeve? Well, if so, you'll get the same sort of feeling after taking a listen to the latest from Finland's October Falls, titled The Womb of Primordial Nature, a richly satisfying mix of death & black metal, doom, folk, and progressive metal, somber and full of melancholy, harshly dramatic yet utterly tranquil at the same time. At just under 40 minutes and with each track tilted 'Part's I-IV", this is basically a four-part suite that challenges the listener through extended passages of extreme metal fury and lush folk soundscapes. On the first part, brutal death metal guitars combat evil black metal screams, interspersed by haunting acoustic guitar passages that add a unique twist to this powerful piece. On to "Part II", where manic tremelo picked riffs recall some of the Norwegian black metal greats, but an assault of not only screeching vocals but brutal death metal growls add some variety to this epic yet tortured track. Melodic & tasty acoustic guitars kick off "Part III", giving way to doomy yet melodic guitar riffs and ravaged vocals, before the frenzy of "Part IV" hits you like a hammer, a blistering 9-minutes of black & death metal styles, injected with just enough folk & doom elements which makes for some of the most textured music you will hear in recent memory.
Though it might seem a stretch to call something this harsh and extreme a work of beauty, but I think that's a tag that really works here. The Womb of Primordial Nature is a true work of art, a piece of music that really shows true emotion while at the same time unveils hidden amounts of savagery, aggression, and despair. Bravo!
Track Listing
1) Part I
2) Part II
3) Part III
4) Part IV
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