When I am listening to an album that is supposed to be atmospheric I usually lay back and relax, even if it's in the Black Metal genre like this album right here. Nonetheless, I have always believed that even atmospheric albums should have plenty of depth that is the main element that upgrades the music. RAVENTALE, the one man project of a one Ukrainian named Astaroth Merc, is a deliverance of an all around Black / Doom Metal scenery that most of the way is being channeled with a sense of calmness rather than the raging attitude of the old school bands. "Bringer Of Heartsore" is Merc's fifth offering via Solitude Productions.

The main problem I have with this album, though I somewhat have tried to avoid it, was due to material's emptiness or lack of content and monotonic nature. I tried to put my main focus on the atmosphere created by the mix of enchanting keyboards and crunchy guitars but it was no use ignoring the feeling that has been roaming in me throughout the listening.With or without the vocals, which were rather not needed as the album could have easily been instrumental from the beginning, I couldn't distinguish Merc's soul in the music. That annoying pattern made the tracks become dull after a short while, well at least most of them, except of "The Last Afterglow Burned" that was a fine feature of a little bit energetic extremity along with the harmonious nature of the release.

There were fragments of the album where I thought that I was listening to a non Viking version of FALKENBACH or a slightly softer image of early DISSECTION, yet RAVENTALE has lesser dynamics in contrast to these bands. In the end I think that this project has what it takes to create great compositions of Black Metal music but without spicing up the material it would remain gloomy and not in the positive aspect of it being suitable to the aura.