EP REVIEW: Stormkeep – Galdrum

American Melodic Black Metallers STORMKEEP recently delivered their debut EP via Van Records. This should be an interesting and immersive experience.

Scores of ambient, dungeon-dwelling synths open the EP with an epic and ancient blend of soundscapes that harken back to the 90s Scandinavian bands. Deep and brooding, the atmospherics grow with a storm of melodic guitar work and powerful drumming that ensues with hasty aggression. The blistering tempest of icy melodies and harsh shrieks is a developed and immersive cascade of ferocious and gorgeous Black Metal with a stunning production that feels genuinely old school while the ideas are unique in their own right. Blasting through a chaotic and frenzied yet drawn out blend of extremity, Stormkeep has a strong sense of purpose which is clearly going to be fulfilled on this work of gloriously charging Black Metal excellence.

The magnificent stride through the 4 tracks has a huge momentum and malicious yet welcoming soundscape that takes us until battle, showcasing epic and bombastic progressions within the traditionally cold parameters of the genre. While a simplistic foundation is at the heart of this music, it is developed and all avenues are explored to provide an intricate work that while short has a lot of deviations that grow with transcendent and natural progression. Chanting and more melodious ideas come to life with a truly awe-striking approach to the whole piece, referring to the EP as an entity as each track is just a portion of a grander picture that must be appreciated in full. A work of marvellous and mighty proportions.

This is resplendent, wonderfully atmospheric and yet scathing Black Metal with as much ambience as there is ferocity. A wolven and ancient rite of pure old school brilliance. Bombardments of blistering fury and stunning orchestration allow the EP to ebb and flow with a monstrously melodic and fearsome sense of embattlement that is fantastic to behold. -8/10