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░ ██ ██ Artist: From the Vastland ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Darkness vs Light, the Perpetual Battle █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2011 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-04-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Arx Productions / A5 Production ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ To be honest, I'm not really familiar with Iran's █
█ black metal scene. I know only two fine but █
█ underrated bands, Aras, which is fairly popular █
█ across the world and Abathur, which sadly no █
█ longer exists. As far as I know, there aren't many █
█ other black metal bands in that territory because █
█ of the huge influence of the religion and the █
█ strictness of the country which is quite █
█ understandable so it's always good to hear that a █
█ newcomer formation could emerge from a place like █
█ that. █
█ This is the same case with From The Vastland, a █
█ one-man black metal act from Tehran. Despite that █
█ they hadn't released any demo before this █
█ full-length a European label made a deal with them █
█ which suggests that it's not just another lo-fi █
█ room black metal effort but a formation with a █
█ more professional approach. And if you take a look █
█ at the nicely made artwork and listen to the █
█ sound's high quality û which is clean but not █
█ overproduced and better then most of what I've █
█ heard recently û you know that this is more than █
█ just an assumption. The music is also way better █
█ than the average, the songs are well-structured █
█ and quite complex, they build up from many █
█ different panels so they don't get repetitive or █
█ boring. Despite the varying song structures the █
█ tracks still keep the epic atmosphere which is █
█ rather similar to Nordic and USBM bands than to █
█ the Middle Eastern metal formations. Obviously, we █
█ can hear some oriental influences in the riffs or █
█ in some leads but apart from the album starter █
█ äThe Dawnö this is not another oriental black █
█ metal album. █
█ One of the best things about this formation is █
█ that it rarely oversteps the traditional black █
█ metal genre's boundaries and it never wants to █
█ seem to be something that it's not. The music was █
█ influenced by the Iranian mythology so apart from █
█ the bit unnecessary instrumental track "Glacier" █
█ the songs and the artwork are about the country's █
█ mythological tradition instead of freezing winter █
█ or worshipping Satan. This and the brutal sound of █
█ the harsh vocals make this record even more epic █
█ not to mention that some of the songs are █
█ featuring some backing choir and keyboards too. █
█ The absolute highlight of the record is a fine █
█ example what happens in most of the songs, at █
█ least, the approach to this track is similar to █
█ the rest. This one is titled äThe Light Of █
█ Revelationö which is a perfect black metal piece █
█ and which reminds me a bit of the early Marduk █
█ because of the atmosphere and the riffs, █
█ especially the first, faster part of the song. The █
█ second, slower part also has the same feeling but █
█ it's more epic, sometimes it reminded me of the █
█ Russian/Ukrainian bands and after that, when the █
█ blast-beat returns the music turns toward the █
█ Nordic plain black metal style. █
█ This kind of mixture of the sub-genres, the tempo █
█ and the heavy/atmospheric parts makes this record █
█ more interesting than an average black metal █
█ release, however, the record isn't flawless. I █
█ mentioned the sound which is clearly above the █
█ average, the sound of the guitar is almost perfect █
█ for this type of music, the vocals are well-echoed █
█ and distorted, the special elements are perfectly █
█ merging into the soundscape. It's hard to hear the █
█ bass though, and the sound of the ride cymbal is █
█ really annoying sometimes, sadly, it pulls down █
█ the overall image. I know, that this album was █
█ recorded with a drum machine but there are better █
█ samples around, next time Sina should be aware of █
█ that. To be fair, the rest of the samples are █
█ good, better than most ôreal drum soundsö, they █
█ are clean but not too mechanic. The programming is █
█ also creative, so all in all, it's just a minor █
█ flaw. I also had some problems with the vocals, █
█ sometimes they are not following the rhythm but █
█ I'm not sure if it wasn't intentional û maybe they █
█ wanted to sound more progressive - so I can't █
█ decide whether it should be considered as a █
█ problem or not. In some songs it works, in other █
█ times you get used to it after a few listen. █
█ I admit that it's not a groundbreaking album. █
█ There's nothing extraordinary on this record and █
█ we can hear some overused riffs as well, but █
█ still, it's a professionally made debut with some █
█ great songs which is a good start for a promising █
█ band. I'm sure that if Sina follows his own path █
█ and keeps this epic atmosphere in his music, the █
█ next album could be a top release. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ More and more black metal bands emerge from Iran █
█ in recent years, and here is the debut effort of a █
█ new band from Tehran called From the Vastland that █
█ was released by the joined forces of Ukrainian █
█ labels Arx Productions and A5 Production. Living █
█ in such a conservative country, Sina, the sole █
█ member of From the Vastland, chose not to adhere █
█ to radical antireligious views prevailing in black █
█ metal community, but instead decided to focus upon █
█ the historical past of his land, taking rather █
█ neutral position in describing in his lyrics the █
█ eternal battle of good and evil, light and █
█ darkness from a perspective of Zoroastrianism and █
█ Iranian mythology. █
█ Speaking about the music, apart from certain epic █
█ feel in some of the songs, Sina hasn't succeeded █
█ in capturing and reproducing that special █
█ Middle-Eastern atmosphere that can be found, for █
█ example, in the works of Al-Namrood from Saudi █
█ Arabia, which may be a bit disappointing for the █
█ listeners who expect to find some exotics here. █
█ Yet, I have to admit, From the Vastland doesn't █
█ suffer from that blurry bedroom sound that is █
█ characteristic of most of the Iranian projects, █
█ and this band can be cited along the lines of such █
█ Sina's compatriots as Sorg Innkallelse or Ekove █
█ Efrits, but, alas, there's nothing essentially new █
█ or remarkable here, so this album will not be met █
█ with much praise like the works of the █
█ aforementioned bands were met five or six years █
█ ago. In a certain sense, From the Vastland was █
█ born too late. Still, the sound on this album is █
█ decent despite the obvious home recording and not █
█ so successful samples in the intros and outros to █
█ some of the songs. Stylistically, the music can be █
█ described as fast and epic black metal with a lot █
█ of melodic parts and some keyboards here and █
█ there. The riffs were composed and put together █
█ competently, and there are even some catchy █
█ moments, yet the album lacks certain inspirational █
█ spark. █
█ This album is quite good as for the Iranian scene, █
█ but on the world scale it can hardly compete with █
█ numerous bands in the genre. It can be recommended █
█ only to those who are interested in █
█ Iranian/Middle-Eastern black metal. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Dawn 1:30 ░
░ 2. Ancient Dream 5:40 ░
░ 3. Eternal Antagonist of Vohu Manah 5:54 ░
░ 4. The Light of Revelation 5:20 ░
░ 5. Glacier 1:59 ░
░ 6. Tishtrya the Rain Client 7:09 ░
░ 7. Nine-Day Battle (Keresaspa the Brave) 4:39 ░
░ 8. Serpent Empire of Angra Mainyu 5:23 ░
░ 9. Thousand Years of Eternity 7:06 ░
░ 10. Vayu 1:42 ░
░ 46:22 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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