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From the beginning of Traversing the Awesome Night it is clear that the brothers Lehane wish to create primitive black metal in the vein of early Immortal. That which separates them from their contemporaries is that they do so with a fair degree of success. Indeed it seems that unlike the scads of talentless "true" black metal bands out there these brothers are able to craft songs that maintain a distinctly black metal flair, but also which are catchy and dare I say have some groove and melody within their structure. Of course their black metal roots are not abandoned in the least and you will hear melancholic guitar passages mixed with grim black metal screams and fast (bordering on repetitive occasionally) drumming. They build throughout the album an atmosphere extremely reminiscent of their black metal predecessors while still maintaining individuality, a task which is not tremendously easy to accomplish and so I say bravo. However as much as I do enjoy Traversing the Awesome Night for its nostalgia-inducing riffs and rhythms there are some glaring problems. As always I will never be able to fully accept the atrocious production quality of grim black metal music and while not as bad as some it is still far from perfect (though with many other bands of their ilk the production is more than likely intentional). Secondly the vocal arrangements become quite monotonous throughout the album, not an enormous flaw but something to keep in mind for future releases. Thirdly, the bass is quite inaudible, not that strong bass lines were ever really part of black metal but being a bass fan I always like hearing a few here and there. Other than these minor flaws this is a very refreshing and creative release from a band which I hope to see grow and mature into something even better in the future; recommended for any fans of black metal in general.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Bringer of Dark and Light |
| 2. None Shall Stand |
| 3. Design |
| 4. Fear and Fire |
| 5. The Journey to the Forest |
| 6. As I Wander |
| 7. Earths Wrath |
| 8. Battleride |
| 9. Victorious |
| 10. The Shriek of Death |
: 48:37
| Buy other Primitive Graven Image albums |
