ALBUM REVIEW: Third Storm – The Grand Manifestation

Once again Dark Descent have a very enticing looking upcoming release, this time in the form of Swedish Black / Doom Metallers THIRD STORM releasing their debut full length, set to come out on the 9th of November. With only 2 demos from the late 80s and a 2015 EP their career seems to have come to a head now with this being their first album as I said. Let’s see what they have to offer!

1. Prima Mobilae does not mess about going into huge blackened atmospherics with tight productions, killer guitar riffs / tones and brutal drums. The vocals are really hellishly bleak and the whole thing isn’t as I expected at all, which I am glad of, I detest predictability. The macabre feel of the song is really nicely captured and thoroughly intense. The groove of the song is also really impressive taking the doom side of the band up a notch before descending into more abyss fuelled Black Metal assaults really nicely. There are some very present Doom Metal sections that break things up nicely while not losing any momentum at all. With really sombre lead work taking the melancholy feel of the song to a great new level, I really enjoyed that. The whole track is really catchy, especially the riffs, great work!
2. As the Stars Watched The Birth Of Eternity crawls in with groovy and punchy riffs, some awesome lead work and killer drum fills taking the Black Metal into full ferocity very nicely shortly afterwards. The riffs are very nice traditional Black Metal work but with so much diversity in the musical style especially with the drums and bass under hideously gruesome vocals before the guitar rejoins the mix, creating a really awesome soundscape. The more upbeat pace of this song has a very Norwegian vibe to it that I thought was an excellent touch before drawn out guitar leads the crescendo into some nice shreds and more soulful licks are laid out. The menacing assault of the song is both aggressively dark and also beautifully uplifting, an exciting and brilliant contrast that the band executed really well.
3. The Third Thought From The Sun falls into place with much more Doom Metal guitar and bass work underlined with precise yet simple drums. The bass guitar mixed with the leads sounds stunning and has a real foreboding vibe to it. There is some definitely Pallbearer and Hooded Menace influenced stuff going on here but the Black Metal vocals really diversify the feel of the track, something really special and unique is created here with its funeral march into extremity going on. The dismal grind of the song is really heartwarming yet full of bleak emotion too, I am thoroughly impressed with the bands ability to conduct so many emotions and sounds in a way that doesn’t feel over the top or forced. This is a certainly appropriate song for long walks into nature and contemplation rather than your average headbang fest. A beautifully orchestrated piece of Extreme Metal, showing in 2018 there are still many places bands can go with originality and nothing feeling dull or repetitive. While unsettlingly dark this track is absolutely gorgeous with some abysmally discordant Black Metal sections that really were an unexpected turn!
4. Sapiens Formulae begins with some vocal choirs that I believe to be midi samples but sound really beautiful and certainly elevate the albums varied styles very nicely. It’s great to see such a talented band experimenting with their creativity and trying something very different, it really pays off to make a wonderful interval especially with the eerie church bells!
5. Through Eyes Of The Omnipresent thunders into fruition with gorgeously cascaded Black Metal riffs, throaty bass guitar, insane blast beats and a really grisly feel to it, completed by howled screams from the vocalist. This is a prime example of modern Black Metal really being full of creativity and killer ideas, this band executing them particularly well. The nice upbeat pace of the song met with dark tones and depressive vocals sounds epic with some simplistically brilliant guitar leads too. The track drops hints of doom while not losing any of the monstrous speed for long, really wicked. Tempos seem to fade across the spectrum creating a  really unpredictable feeling throughout the piece. The lead riff towards the end is so damn catchy too! This is another really original and excellent piece of music!
6. Forgotten Deity begins with beautifully pristine acoustic guitars that really set a joyfully pleasant mood to the release, something I did not expect musically but I thought it was an element they could make good use of. I am glad they decided to as this works really nicely as an introduction that really accentuates the ensuing lead guitar skills and crushingly heavy Doom Metal rhythms. The hugely catatonic soundscape created is absolutely stunning and a prime example of how melody can be used to make something heavier as well as lighter. There are even some Thrash Metal elements in the build up that caught me off guard before dropping into some sort of doom infused Black n Roll. This song is immediately appealing to me, although reconfirmed when the vocals just rips through the track so clearly. The production is perfectly suited to the musical brilliance. This song really tears through the album beautifully, while still keeping the flow and momentum completely intact. The monolithic guitar, bass and drums provide a perfect foundation for the demonically morbid vocals to sit upon. The lead work on this album have been consistently great but are especially astounding on this piece for the very notable, almost Neo-classical melodies. The walls of huge atmospheric Black Metal noise soon ensue completing the bands glorious style. Phenomenal track and by far the best I have heard from the band!
7. Gorakaathuar storms into existence after the rather tranquil ending of the previous track in a shocking and exciting manner that really does keep me on my toes. The cascading guitar riffs met with intricate blasts and grinding bass create a lovely yet dismal Black Metal attack of sheer brilliance. The song is generally quite cheerful sounding which I wouldn’t have predicted from the ending of the last at all. The fact they actually make all this greatly different and diverse material flow so smoothly is simply astounding. The groove of the riffs and violent torment of the vocals is actually perfectly put together once more on this track creating some incredibly unique material with some nice doomy breaks thrown in carefully for good measure. The production really allows every piece of the band to shine through very nicely, nothing being lost or overlooked while blending them together to create something truly wonderful. The guitar solo had some cool shreds but also a really great soulful bluesy feel to parts of it too. Another really fantastic and intense track!
8. In Wrath Enshrouded follows the last track very nicely with more intricate riffs, blast beats and a really awesome atmosphere taking place. While not feeling like a closing song in essence, there is a present feel of closure to it. The brilliance of the songwriting is once again very strong! The guitars seem to have this ghostly, haunting and spectral feel to them while the drums really punch you into oblivion. The vocals once more performing brilliant over the top in a way that does not overshadow anything but certainly permeates through the huge walls of noise the instrumentals create. This is much more traditional Black Metal than the other tracks but still equally enjoyable. Totally brilliant track, not that I am surprised at this point!

My first point in reflection is the Yin/Yan artwork really suits the effect they create fusing Black Metal and Doom Metal with a very much call and response feel to it. Really tight and enticing material that is some greatly reflective art sonically in terms of its very dark and light sides shining through beautifully. The cosmic atmospherics met with some excellent progressions and also parts of primal aggression and destructive doom work in conjunction gloriously. Excellent work, great debut full length! -8.5/10