The symbol of the raven is prolific throughout folklore and the occult. In Danish folklore there is even a valravn-a supernatural being that consumes the dead on the battlefield and can transform itself into a knight, half-wolf, or half-raven. Yeah, so some awesome stuff. Not surprisingly there are several metal and alternative bands that bear the name. One of the best is a Melodic Black Metal foursome from Finland. If you were to see an actual valravn striding across a battlefield, you'd expect this band's music to be playing in the background. On September 8, 2023 VALRAVN are due to release their sophomore full-length album, "The Awakening," on Primitive Reaction. It is a beautifully crafted slab of Black Metal.

One standout aspect of VALRAVN is their singular dedication to the craft. This is especially true with "The Awakening" which unlike their debut album, "Prey," forgoes superfluous flourishes-e.g., no intros or outros, no interludes, no spoken word overlays, and no atmospheric field recordings. They rely on solid songwriting and crushing musicianship to push their narratives-leveraging the magic of distortion, rhythm, and melody to underpin their dark lyrics delivered in the tongue of blood-soaked guttural by Alarik.

"The Awakening" comprises eight well-developed tracks weighing in at about 44 minutes. The album cover depicts a knight (one presumes a valravn) kneeling in a field of dead against a stark backdrop of red. Even the single tree in the landscape is made of corpses. Their previous album, "Prey," shows a raven spreading its wings a top a field of dead with a solid black backdrop. Which is to say, even in their cover art the band uses stark, straightforward techniques to convey their message-the first album showcasing a valravn consuming its prey, the second showing the transformed valravn awakening.

For those who have followed VALRAVN since their debut, there seems to have been some changes in lineup. H. Partinen (bass) has departed and T. Sipola (drums) has joined. In addition, several other members have switched instruments. And though these changes are not monumental, the fact that the members are multi-instrumentalists who have performed together under a variety of capacities creates an undeniable internal consistency which comes through on "The Awakening."

While every track on the album is solid, they pick up significant momentum as the album progresses with the final tracks "A Symphony of Honor" (man, the final solo on this one!) and "Charge of the Last Calvary" rising as the standouts amongst all the other standouts. Other notable tracks include the opener "The Black Flame" which sets the tone to the entire album as well as "The Insolent," a long, multi-movement track that escalates from Doom proportions to Blackened Thrash. For those that have followed VALRAVN since "Prey," their second release sees improvements in production values as well as more focused songwriting and aggressive execution. The perfect progression, one might say.

It's almost cliché to heap accolades on Finnish and Swedish bands for their preternatural ability to craft music that aligns with the hidden lay lines of their chosen subgenre. VALRAVN is no exception . . . with the "Prey" they established their intent to harm; with "The Awakening" the rise to slaughter.