Pilgrims of the Black Hole
Midnight Callings
It was difficult to find out much information on this Black Metal band from Germany. What I could garner is that this is their second full length album, and contains four tracks.
The title track, "Pilgrims of the Black Hole," leads off the album. The opening of swirling winds lead to a four-note chord progression that goes down, up and back again. The rhythm is held together mostly by blast beat drums and repeated cymbal strikes. Vocally this is very much in the Black Metal tradition, taking the form of high pitched wails devoid of any available words. The production is fairly muted, almost as if the song was recorded in a small room. There is a change up in the main riff just before the half way mark of this nearly 14 minute song, and a fade out at the end that sounds eerily hollow.
"Bleak" is a slower and slightly shorter song, with an interlude that diverts you away from the rhythmic pattern established at the start. The vocal screams are especially underscored here. A quicker passage picks up towards the end of the song. By contrast, "Dust" is a faster song that has a strong and dark presence from the start. Some twin guitar harmonies fill in here and there in a new key that seems to contrast the original one, creating a heavy dissonance, but the fast paced rhythm stays strong. Closing the album is the song entitled "Where the Raven Rests." The opening ambiance evil incarnate, like you are witnessing the opening of a portal that connects the underworld with the world of the living. The bass guitar is more prominent here, taking the lead on some of the riffs. The closing brings in a little more instrumentation in the form of keyboards or sampling and definitely adds another layer to the sound.
Overall I find this is very much traditional Black Metal as you have come to know the genre and there is no deviation from the way this music is put together. I did find the muted production somewhat difficult to enjoy but at the same time it gave the album and underground feeling which seemed to pair well with the songs.Final Verdict: 5/10
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Pilgrims of the Black Hole" Track-listing:
1. Pilgrims of the Black Hole
2. Bleak
3. Dust
4. Where the Raven Rests
Midnight Callings Lineup:
N/A
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