Gra- Vasen, Darkness Befell Upon The World |

Gra straight from Sweden, hailing from the underground, will unleash their raw black metal sound with Vasen. Gra was formed in the icy caves of Sweden by Heljarmadr and Dimman, creating a catastrophic black metal sound, sticking to some conventional rules yet breaking others to create this magnum opus.

This album strikes you in the throat immediately, as you hear the introduction to “Till Sorjerskorna” a compelling track. Alone, this song has the amplification of guitars, and diabolical vocals by Heljarmadr; with divine evil it progresses delivering relentless drum work by Dimman. This is what black metal is intended to sound like, not your new trendy black metal crap. The second song starts off with a demonic guitar riff faster than fire itself, “King of Decay” is ambitious, with a virulent sound. When the tremolo delivers that continuous riff, you hear the aggression in each finger change on the frets and the steady strokes creating a magnificent sound; the sound of black metal. In minute 1:48 you hear the bass (Vediger), delivering a morbid back track, adding impurities to this song. The tempo is set by the drums on this magnificent song, you hear the cymbals being tortured by Dimman when you suddenly hear an ominous requiem played by a synthesizer, classic black metal style. As the “king of decay, master of lies” runs through your ears, you will hear a ferocious track. One of the songs that catches your attention is “Krig”, a solemn sound explodes with the vile vocals by Heljarmadr, this is a song that will stop you on your tracks and instill a macabre feeling, hearing that gun shot simply draws you in. The track is important, as it demonstrates Gra’s ability to create other evil sounds with a flexible tempo, cohesiveness is imperative as this song does contain an amazing bridge before the melody and malady created in such dark track.

The eerie conjurations in track titled “The Devil’s Tribe” are prolific and orchestrations are imminent. The atmospheric sounds will give you chills as the drums march on and the guitars (Maugrim) and bass deliver a perplex tune, all in conjunction emit a ghastly melody. To finalize this ritual, the song titled “Vasen” is a destructive force, striking furiously since the get go. With aggression you will hear another incessant melody, a gory vocal sound tearing your insides, this track is a phenomenal way to close the album. With the addition of a classical guitar, the versatility and ability by Heljarmadr on guitar is unrelenting. This song will remind you of early Dimmu Borgir, with the hammering on guitars, and insatiable drum beatings. Gra will grab you from the throat, harrow you slowly to the darkness and leave you bleeding from within. Their new grotesque album titled Vasen will hit the store on April 27th via Carnal Records.

By: Hostile Jo