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Anwynn: Newydd wawr

26/04/11 || Altmer

Ok, so I’m biased while doing this review. I don’t care. Just like Lord K reviewed his friends in Vomitory or Grave, so am I now reviewing something Ms Altmer (no, I ain’t betrothed), has made. Or, well, played on, because she just played the keyboards. She didn’t actually compose any of the songs on here. So that’s how I got this record.

Now, it’s actually not just that. The rest of the guys I’ve met (so everyone except the new drummer) are all ace. They deserve some of the promo, not just because this is a really well-done demo by a band that’s undergone a few carnations and has decided to resurface with a newer, better sound, but also because they’re ace guys and gals that deserve some success in this world. More than any given metalcore band, at least, hahaha…

Now, the name hints at Celtic metal. I’d agree with this, but there’s no actual Celtic bits to be had on this record. There’s no gay folk music, flutes, or whatever. If there’s folk music, it’s in the riffs. There are keyboards, but they’re not flashy in any way, and they’re used well and sparingly (and the sounds used are primarily piano and Hammonds anyway). I think they want to use a bagpipes player for the next full-length, due out… in a long time. Sometime. If you want to characterize this, think of what you’d get if you’d put a female singer over Amon Amarth riffs with some more keyboards. That’s basically the picture you should be getting. There’s a lot more in the melting pot, but those things: melodic death metal riffing, and a female-vocal driven atmosphere, combined with grunts, are the basic core of the music.

The songs on this album were written by the previous drummer who has been left/kicked out/whatever from the band. Point is, he’s not in it anymore, but these are his songs anyway. He’s a pretty good songwriter, coming up with a lot of strong and memorable melodies (but sadly, no really hooky choruses), and there are a lot of really good riffs and solos strewn across the record. It’s sad that he’s not in the band anymore, because he was a really good drummer (and only 20, unlike Laurent… who is what, 40?). However, you can see this material as the legacy they left when recording it: he recorded the drums for this album and left after that. If only he hadn’t allowed the drum production to be entirely fucked up (quantized, triggered drums deluxe, a very, very irritating sound), it’d be even better. But the guy is an amazing player, and he’s got a lot of versatility, and doesn’t go overboard on the double bass.

The best part of this record are the guitars, though, particularly whatever Mr Ben Becker is doing. Laurent does most of the leads and they have a more 80s, Iron Maiden-esque quality to them – he’s got his style down to the core, but the really dweedly stuff is not entirely for me. Ben’s riffing is amazing though, and he really works and grinds out the rhythm parts really well. Furthermore, after the stupid electric piano intro (due to the sample’s sound, NOT the actual part) on the last song, “Grail”, there is a fucking godly lead guitar riff that I think Ben does that blows my mind every time I hear it. This is pretty much the best moment of the demo. If they can write more parts like that on an eventual full length album, I am sold for fucken eternity.

The vocal attack on the album is dual-pronged. I have the idea the lyrics are a bit silly, but you can’t understand them anyway through their thick Walloon accents and growls, and they may be an important theme, but I don’t really find them to be that important. The sound color of the vocals is much more important here, and Bouc has a good growling voice, so I’m more than fine with the growls. Amandine has a more Epica-style, fairy-voice. I can see this wearing on some people, but I actually love her vocals and they seem more powerful and less wispy than f.e. Simone Simons. They work very well in tandem and they’ve got a good chemistry going on. Me likes.

Overall, it’s still a demo, and there’s quite a few uneven patches on the record. Some of the keyboard sounds just don’t fit (the electric piano intro to Grail is the right part, but it sounds hilariously stupid), and the drum production is just soulless and crap. I can’t say I enjoy the sound of the drums at all, even if the playing’s excellent. I think those are pretty much the bigger issues to work on: try to get a slightly more organic drum sound and work on integrating the keyboard sounds better into the songs.

But overall, for a demo, this is really high-quality produced, and if you’re a fan of the more melodic types of metal, this is definitely a must hear. Unfortunately it’s not available in stores yet, so if you want to own the CD, you’ll have to travel to Belgium and buy a copy of the CD from any one of the band members. However, I tilt my kilt to these fellas and fellasses, and hope they can rectify some of the quibbles to produce a truly mindblowing record when they go for a full length. These guys and gals have got it in them.

Information
Released: 2011
Label: self-released
Website: www.arawn.be
Band
Amandine Blanquet: female vocals
Vincent “Bouc” Carton: growls
Laurent Hunaerts: guitars
Benoit Becker: guitars
Vincent Van Loo: bass
Astrid Kaiserman: keyboards
Forster Perelzstejn: drums

Tracklist
01. End of Druids
02. Camlann
03. Clanwar
04. Grail

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