Lein - The Call of Grief
Estonia
Gatekeeper Records
The
band hails from the city of Tallinn, which is one of the snowiest cities in
Europe and known for its beautiful medieval architecture, so it makes sense
that such a setting would produce a band whose music conjures up images of forests
and snow-capped mountains.
The
demo opens with a somber intro that perfectly sets the tone for this release,
followed by “Light”, a mid-tempo track with majestic riffs and hateful vocals
that are rather mid-ranged and bestial, as opposed to the higher-pitched
shrieking that you often hear in black metal, though I feel like this sets them
apart a bit and actually fits the music very well.
Production-wise,
the album has a rather simple approach and feels organic, especially the drums,
which are on point and eminently well-executed. The third track “Öö Langeb”
goes into darker territory and features a series of deadly riffs reminiscent of
Dark Fury, which are perfectly layered over the vicious screams, while
“Parasite” shows their knack for more bestial rhythms, including some epic
guitar solos to boot.
"The
Call of Grief” is packed with icy riffs and a melancholic atmosphere, but also
has a verily gritty edge, including some excellent leads on the last track
called “Last Winter” (no pun intended). Truly, this is a thoroughly excellent
demo through and through and since it’s just starting to get colder in my
country, it’s a rather fitting listen.
Fans
of bands like Dark Fury, Hate Forest and Graveland should not miss out on this
release, as everything on this demo is extremely well done and shows a band
with a lot of potential and a penchant for excellent craftsmanship.
“The
Call of Grief” consists of five compositions with a playing time of 26:26
minutes and is black metal at its finest. Highly recommended.