Speirling

The Piper

Unholy Design Records 2008
 

These Brits present a concept album based around an interesting concept, a black metal retelling of the story of the Pied Pieper of Hamelin.  Filthy and Cold starts out as traditional black metal but before too long atmospheric keyboards creep in adding an epic quality to this track before once again disappearing into the netherworld form whence they came.  Wrath of the Wild has a more martial feel to the song submit themselves to a nostalgic melody and the epic grandeur of Speirling truly comes to life on this track as it fades out with male choir vocals.  The next song, Three Shill Notes, at times reminds me of some early Burzum material, mainly due to the riffing style and guitar tone.  This Burzum feeling carries over into The World Breaks once again carried by an eerie guitar tone and galloping drums.  When the bombastic clean vocals echo throughout the end of the track a moment of inspiring clarity and rising nostalgia is achieved.  The instrumental, Into The Blazing Abyss, conjures long forgotten eras and Tolkien-ish landscapes with its simple and calming keyboards and melodic guitars.  The production has a dry edge to it instilling a sense of age to this new recording.  Blaidd's vocals are on the raspy end of the spectrum giving his words a dusty feel.  Speirling has composed an interesting album of black metal that is mainly traditional but displays flashes of so much more.  They foundation is there for them to branch out and create an album even more unique and inspiring compositions in the future.