Darkwoods My Betrothed – Angel Of Carnage Unleashed
Darkwoods My Betrothed – Angel Of Carnage Unleashed
Napalm Records
Release Date: 12/11/21
Running Time: 50:33
Review by Rick Eaglestone
8.5/10
After a two-decade silence Finland’s Darkwoods my Betrothed find their voice with new album “Angel of Carnage Unleashed”.
There were two things I did when I heard about this new album; firstly get very excited as not only is it a brand-new release but it’s also the original line-up, and secondly go back and revisit gems such as “Autumn Roars Thunder” and “Witch-Hunts”, and once I had done that I was fully invested and ready to dive in.
Opener ‘Name the Dead’ immediately brings in a cacophony of brutality which weaves into orchestral elements and back to storming drums and desperately raw vocals, a strong opening track which firmly announces the bands intention and direction. ‘In Evil, Sickness and in Grief’ follows and is also unrelenting for the most part, but has some wonderful atmospheric sections with added layers of haunting backing vocals, and at over eight minutes, manages to hold the listeners attention throughout.
A change of pace entirely for ‘Murktide and Midnight Sun’, which has a really strong Folk/Viking feel to it. And that leads into my highlight track of the album, ‘You Bitter Source of Sorrow’, which at its very core is everything that first appealed to me as a listener all those years back. It has the frostbitten feel to it, and I just kept going back to it over and over. ‘Where We Dwell’ has a great riff and wonderful piano melodies – these 2 songs paired together make the album for me in all honesty.
The band revisit the Folk/Viking side with ‘In Thrall to ‘Ironskull’s Heart’, another 8 plus minute track that again has enough varied elements, and the only thing that’s missing is a horn full of mead. ‘Massacre’ brings it back to the atmospheric, bleak, and heavy with easily the most urgently savage track of the entire album – it’s a full-on assault of the senses, as too is ‘Black Fog and Poison Wind’ but it’s laden with all the atmosphere of the Carpathian Mountains.
The album finishes with an outro and, although enjoyable, I feel this would’ve served better as an intro track.
‘You Bitter Source Of Sorrow’ Official Audio
TRACKLISTING:
01. Name the Dead
02. In Evil, Sickness and in Grief
03. Murktide and Midnight Sun
04. You Bitter Source of Sorrow
05. Where We Dwell
06. In Thrall to Ironskull’s Heart
07. Massacre
08. Black Fog and Poison Wind
09. Outro
LINE-UP:
Pasi Kankkunen – lead vocals, guitar
Jouni Mikkonen – guitar
Teemu Kautonen – bass, backing vocals
Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards
Kai Hahto – drums (session)
LINKS:
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