søndag den 24. februar 2019

Gryre  Demo I


A short demo was created and recorded live under heavy influence on the 29th of June 2018. This recording was then released on Ancient Meadow on the 3rd of February 2019. 

A short thing of an EP, 5 tracks about 20 minutes in total. With all the tracks having untitled names. The digital Bandcamp releases clearly show something from the Spanish Inquisition (I think), witchfinder generals loyal henchmen doing their best to torture heretics and witches. The lovely cassette releases show something quite else. The grim reaper stands big and tall in a forest, has a tentacled snake-like skeleton protruding from one his arms. The head of the snake-like arm aims to devour what clearly illustrates... a skull-like moon? What does that mean?... Who cares?! It looks great and it goes VERY well with the music.


And yes we are dealing with some kind of dungeon synth, lots of mood and lots of grim scariness. Not the kind of merry fantasy D&D thing, but more with a kind of moody autumn landscape folk-lore kind of a thing. It's quite mystical, evocative with minor hints of a martial epicness here and there. Even the excellent first track contains fantastic esoteric-sounding Persian-like string. The second and third track offering spine-tingling and haunting melodies with beautiful simplicity (Not that far away from Finnish minimalist DS-act Silent Cabin). The fourth track on the demo would be my very favourite on the release. That certain feeling when something is on your trail in a blackened and frosty forest, maybe the inquisition? The excellent electronic martial drums certainly envoke that! The dramatic almost gothic-like melodies are AMAZING here! Really a powerful track!. Last and fifth track on the demo works a bit around that classic and early Mortiis sound, majestic epicness among ancient ruins on a foggy hill kind of a sound. A lovely track without a doubt, very evocative like the rest of the demo. 

Pretty much I could write about a 20-minute demo from Minsk. An excellent and recommend one I might add. Your next order from Ancient Meadow, be sure to include this cassette!. One of the releases which clearly illustrates the quality which the label Ancient Meadow represents! You might wanna get/buy the tape via the labels official site since I cannot locate it on Ancient Meadow´s Bandcamp site. 


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