GRAVEIR is an Australian Black Metal band and "King of the Silent World" is their second full length album.  They also have a demo, one split and an EP.   Although the production, guitar tone and blackened screams are definitely more aligned with the more traditional aspects of black metal, the overall sound of the band is definitely not the same old same old when compared to the black metal of old.  Still, the songs can blend together but if they are all well written then that doesn't matter all that much.

Much of the album is mid paced songs that require multiple listens to sink it.  These repeated listens aren't because the album isn't good and you need time to get to enjoy it.  On the contrary, it is so good at setting a morbid and bleak atmosphere with many layers that you will want to come back several times to discover all it has to offer.   The riffs are heavy but have a melodic bleakness to them that weaves the songs together in waves and patterns that contain leads, groove, and sometime just caustic speed.  The songs are composed very well with pacing that leads you from note to note, moment to moment to allow the music to wash over you in a way that is similar to a lot of post metal/black gaze bands, although "King Of The Silent World," is neither of those styles.

"Charnel Bacchanalia," wastes no time in getting started.  A melodic rhythm settles in early to lay down the melancholic foundation. The guitars take on a more groove oriented approach when the drums kick in harder and faster-the song has a hypnotic feel to it that just reels you in. Although there isn't a bad track on the album, it doesn't really hit its stride until the third track, "The Fetch Of Crooked."  The heavy yet somewhat gentle approach to the riffs in the song's opening make the band sound a bit along the lines of more progressive blackened bands such as  ENSLAVED.  Gloom's vocals are anything but gentle and he makes them work with the music even when it seems like he is going against the grain.  The sudden bursts of speed throughout the song keep it fresh and exciting while the song's later half caps it off perfectly.

One of my favorites from the album is "Immacolata." The tortured vocals and the guitars intertwine together for a slower paced, moody dirge that sounds like the audio version of being dragged through the mud after being bludgeoned. The track's mid section is a musical movement I found very interesting.  There seems to be a light trying to shine through the dark cracks but it is a dim light, reserved for a cold morning sun casting rays onto a damp graveyard. "Fodder For The Gears," is the most abrasive song of the album with a focus more on direct riffs than setting a particular mood.  The song sounds harrowing and urgent, a creepy and somewhat unnerving solid serving of black metal.  At under five minutes in length, this is one that can be jammed over and over again.

"Phantasms In Daguerre," is another highlight for me.  The song's beginning is about as down trodden as a funeral and twice as sullen.  The bass stands out among the guitars and the darkened harmonies and melodies they create.  The song ramps up towards the end, a living hurricane of music that just gets bigger and stronger as the minutes go by.  In the end, GRAVEIR's "King of the Silent World," was a pleasant surprise and is one of the best Black Metal albums I have reviewed so far this year.  The album just does a great job with balancing a damp, moody atmosphere with the more abrasive elements of black metal.