Reviews: SODP015
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“Relict” significa quasi venti anni di carriera per questa formazione russa, ormai arrivata al terzo album. Un lavoro che impersona un black metal dal nobile accento sinfonico e qualcosa non dissimile dai più classici Dimmu Borgir, ma non meno bravi i Grimorium Verum a rendere ampie e melodicamente solenni le proprie composizioni. Un tocco di classicità percorre queste canzoni, dominate da una potenza espressiva rilevante. Tastiere e orchestrazioni di sorta si prendono la scena oppure affiancano l’impianto chitarristico di Zavalnnyy Andrey (anche bassista e tastiere). La voce è Dokuchaev Roman. Uryavin Alexandr è indicato come tastierista live e con lui, almeno per la realizzazione dell’album, hanno fatto parte delle registrazioni altri musicisti. Opera ampia “Relict”, foderata di melodie epiche e tali da far comprendere quanto i Grimorium Verum siano progrediti e maturi, eppure un tantino ancora lontani da un livello più personale. Il loro black sinfonico è di buona fattura, ma privo di contenuti che lo tirino fuori dalla calderone del genere.
Недавно я обозревал формацию Даймонд, где командует Рома Даймонд, еще тогда заметил, что он вокалирует и в группе Grimorium Verum. Что показалось мне смутно знакомым. И почему же? Да потому что диск Grimorium Verum 15-го года заслал мне значок Symbol of Domination Prod., сублэйбл Сатанат рекордс.
Grimorium Verum из Сыктывкара, что в глуби России, работает в стиле оскаленного симфо-блака, и уже имеет порядочный опыт на этой стезе. С 1996 года ребята собрались для воплощения жестокого, но одновременно симфонического блака. Что бывает, но редко. Редко также случатся, что группа начинает, как и Grimorium Verum, с записи живого альбома. Потом музыканты сделали еще два полноформата, доказывая миру факт, что Сыктывкар производит мощную музыку, и команда с кривой дорожки сворачивать не собирается. Как раз этот сабж — третий альбом - подтверждение сему.
Стоит сразу сказать, что в записи компакт диска участвовало семь музыкантов разной формы одержимости, семь душ, семь порывов. Что для указанного жанра очень даже и хорошо, ибо для создания толкового произведения в этой стилистике требуется большой энергетический посыл.
На самом деле группировке удалось построить настоящий симфо-блак — термин насколько противоречивый, настолько и притягательный для тысяч поклонников. Под этот стайл часто мимикрируют разные подстили со скримингом, и даже проходит это нередко на ура. Раньше проходило. Все-таки происходящая вокруг стиля шумиха сыграла свою пиар роль )). В те далекие времена, что только не называли блаком, лишь бы скриминг имелся )). Поэтому сюда с успехом приписывали самый «мягкий» музон, и ласково называли мелодик блак метал, а что-то и симфо-блаком.
Самые большие гранды в поджанре симфо-блака - это Эмперор и Лимбоник арт. В нынешние времена существуют сотни уверенно крушащих риффаж групп, которые с полным правом играют в указанном стиле, совмещая структуры не то, чтобы противоположные, но разнесенные максимально далеко по прихоти своих духовных отцов. Хотя нужно заметить, что блакеры неспроста потянулись в направлении виртуозных симфо-каскадов, ибо тут имеется грандиозный потенциал для тотализатора, где на кон поставлены мрак, ненависть, мизантропия музыкального давления.
За клавишами банды расположился Андрей, хотя еще пара приглашенных участников включала свои партии на пиано в состав траков этого компакта. Клавиши здесь порешали многое - глубину, высоту и ширину окопов, которые необходимо рыть для того, чтобы уцелеть после применения симфонического оружия массового поражения Grimorium Verum. Их звук то маниакально бросается на дальние пики зловещих гор, то прокатываются по хлябям неупорядоченных равнин. Самая крайняя идея возвеличивания ЭГО, вот что свело симфонизмы и блак метал, внутренняя экспансия в чертоги подсознательного и имперское мышление. А также широта духа и глубина фантазии.
Композер четыре года (или более) собирал музидеи в одну могучую яму, трамбовал их тракторами перфекционизма, поливал сырой нефтью музыкального вдохновения. И проросло — торжествующий десятиликий монстр на стыке классики и черного мессианского авангарда. Тут есть чем возгордиться. Создание легко рвет опухшие от алкоголизма физиономии лиц попсовой ориентации, люцифериански возжигает массивный маяк на сотни тысяч канделл и направляет его на любой объект — музыкального проклятия или презрения. Без разницы, ибо все это мощью музыкального извержения превращается в остекленевшие артефакты. Композер не забыл и о маленьких звуковых изюминках - компонентах этого произведения, которые украшают его тело, усугубляя нужные катастрофические объем и мистичность.
Гитарная атака, как и положено, давит здесь танками, строчит риффами из зенитных орудий, ставит могущественные запятые, оформляет мелкие посылки на небеса, осуществляя, где нужно, поддержку клавишных эскадрилий, где надо, самостоятельно отрабатывая поставленные цели.
С большим успехом здесь вокалирует упомянутый Роман, на стыке скрима и харша, - вдохновенно, мощно и адекватно, а иногда гроулом - демонически отрабатывает свои партии с жестким эмоциональным прессингом и избирательностью сектора обстрела. К тому же в калиброванные мензурки своего голоса Роман иногда добавляет гадючьего яда, что придает его вокалу воистину диавольский оттенок и толику садисткого шарма. Ему редко, но верно помогают еще два вокалиста - Ефим и Ульяна, которые демонстрируют реально высокий профессионализм, действуя точечно, целенаправленно и может быть реже, чем нам бы этого хотелось. НО. Это симфо-блак, а не павер-метал. Так что - Оrdnung uber alles.
Relict, the third full length album from Russian symphonic black metal act Grimorium Verum, is a solid effort that will bring you back to the peak of the melodic black metal explosion. Summoning a strong likeness to the late ’90s work of Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir and Naglfar, the album brings forty-seven minutes of music that really would have fit well with the whole Century Black scene of old. Grimorium Verum blends that somewhat modernized, pristine sound with the orchestrations and symphonic nature of the recent output of Carach Angren, Alghazanth and even a dash of Limbonic Art.
This Russian duo, consisting of Andrey Zavalnyy on instruments and Roman Dokuchaev on vocals, enlisted a bevy of guests, including pianists, backing vocalists, a lead guitarist and, most importantly, a live drummer. The production is crystal clear, much like the heavyweight, melodic black metal acts previously mentioned. The extremely clean production allows everything to shine through vividly, but it takes away some of the venom from the riffing and snarled vocals.
The main instrumentation is quite tight and the songwriting is actually pretty decent, given the sheer amount of bands who have attempted this style over the years. The guitars focus on slightly thrashy power chords with tinges of minor key melodies and the occasional staccato segment. The style really reminds of me Galder’s work, focusing more on flow than technical prowess or downright brutality. The rhythm section is quite punishing, with the drums consisting of machine gun paced double bass runs and precise rolls and the bass thundering along for an extremely thick low end. Strewn across the entire album are overarching keyboards and orchestrations. Most of the symphonic flourishes are along the lines of Carach Angren, only with a slightly less overcooked sound. The selective use of pianos at a few spots, rather than domineering keyboard patches, adds a classical touch, somewhat mature touch to the sound.
Symphonic black metal has really been done to death by now, but Grimorium Verum is able to bring a sound that is both nostalgic and fresh. If you’re a fan of the style, you really know what to expect, but it’s good to hear another take on the style. Relict carries overarching atmospherics amid a backdrop of melodic black metal with crystalline production and stellar musicianship. Fans of any band mentioned would do well to check this out, as it’s one of the better examples of the style to come out in quite some time.
Wat krijg je als je de oude Cradle Of Filth (uit de periode The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh) kruist met Dimmu Borgir ten tijde van Death Cult Armageddon? Het antwoord moet natuurlijk zijn: de derde van Grimorium Verum. Voor de goede orde, het gaat hier niet om de Ecuadoriaanse maar om de Russische band.
Vanaf opener Relict wordt duidelijk dat de bombast op deze cd voorop staat. De blackmetal van Grimorium Verum gedijt er goed op trouwens. Dat komt doordat de hoofdrol wordt opgeëist door de gitaren die alle kanten opgaan: snelle riffs, melodieuze stukken en dito solos. Anders gezegd: het symfonische is een toevoeging maar voert nergens de boventoon.
Er speelt op Relict een pak gastmuzikanten mee en daarmee rijst de vraag of het hier een band of een project betreft. Hoe dan ook, Relict is een meer dan goede cd geworden die een goede aanvulling is in de rest van de catalogus van de band. Doordat de muziek erg gelaagd is, valt er genoeg te ontdekken. Wat hierbij helpt is dat de melodie niet wordt geschuwd en deze combinatie levert een mooi resultaat op.
Productioneel klinkt het allemaal als een klok. Alweer scoort Grimorium Verum hiermee bonuspunten. Origineel is het nergens maar het is nog altijd beter om iets goed te jatten dan slecht zelf te bedenken. Benieuwd of ze dit ook live waar kunnen maken.
Over the past several years there has been a notable stream of strong symphonic black metal acts hailing from the winter torn land of Russia, largely taking on the massive, pomp-steeped sonic approach typical to the later 90s sound of Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child, and Troll. With strong yet obscure offerings from young acts such as Vintergata, Sinister Frost, and Morbid Violence that reaffirm a fairly orthodox take on the style, one wouldn't be far off base to infer that Russian conservatism isn't wholly contained to their political culture. But while most of these bands have their origins in the mid-2000s or later, Grimorium Verum has been at the game since the mid 1990s, though their studio output only began to take off within the past seven years. Their latest offering Relict is a predictable, yet highly effective retread of familiar territory that bridges the gap between the early glory days of higher fidelity production in Spiritual Black Dimensions and more recent, almost Hollywood oriented albums toting the same style.
Enough can't be stated about how much charm black metal possesses when it has a reasonable balance of atmospheric splendor and technical proficiency, regardless of whether it goes for that fuzzy, older school low-fi sound or the more thrashing, thick modern sound that's become a bit more prominent of late. The approach taken here definitely leans heavy on the theatrical side of things, almost to the point of channeling the early days of King Diamond, complete with the bombastic church organs that give things something along the lines of a twisted church aesthetic and a horror film. The opening instrumental and title song "Relict" occasionally reminds of the driving and creepy Renaissance organ intro to "The Candle" off Fatal Portrait, though with a massive symphonic attack that definitely channels a number of 2000s Dimmu Borgir parallels. When the beast is finally set free on the opening full song "Rising Morning Star", the bombastic production reveals a drum heavy and guitar chugging machine gun assault that's pretty close to where Dimmu was on the rerecording of Stormblast and their mildly underwhelming 2007 album In Sorte Diaboli, but with a much freer flow and more bite.
But for all of the spellbinding aesthetics hitting the ears left and right thanks to superior orchestral plug-ins and a really precise mixing job, what makes this album truly enjoyable is its general consistency and proficiency. Rapid fire epics with occasional drop offs into ambient territory such as "Night Burning Icons" and "In Satan We Trust" essentially rivet the senses from start to finish, perfectly emulating all of the high points of a classic Dimmu Borgir sound. The vocal approach is largely a two-dimensional attack of high pitched ravings heavily reminiscent of Ihsahn, augmented with some deeper grunts and groans that's almost low enough to pass for early Katatonia, and even occasionally adorned with some clean backup vocal work that channels ICS Vortex's sometimes smooth, sometimes rough approach. Things take on a bit more of a power metal infused melodeath character on "The Truth Forgotten In Time", which rivals "Rising Morning Star" for the most memorable song on here, as well as the most viciously fast and bombastic. Guitar solo work also appears at fairly regular intervals, and though it never goes into full out shred mode, it definitely cuts a bit flashier than many in the style and is maybe a tad bit less ambitious than a typical Children Of Bodom shred fest.
Though in a style that has seen a fair amount of imitation and saturation over the past 10 years, this stands as one of the more qualitatively superior offerings to come about this year, nay, the past couple years. It emanates a freshness and intensity that has generally been absent from Dimmu Borgir's output, which has been a bit sparse lately, as has been the case with many of the prime movers in the style's early days. It's arguably on the safer side of the equation and may have limited appeal to the crowd that wants an older, colder character of sound as underscored in the earliest days of the Norwegian scene, but it is a definite boon for those that took to the later 90s sound and beyond where the post-rock and fuzzy elements began to drop off and the style took on a more chugging, thrashing character. Relict has all the makings of a grand legion of orcs marching in a frozen wasteland, much like the imagery adorning the cover of the iconic In The Nightside Eclipse, and though the production quality here is a far-cry from its archetype, the stylistic trappings of the original are still fairly present, and the overall spirit is definitely maintained.
http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Grimorium_Verum/Relict/496951/hells_unicorn/29518
Nothing starts the day like a hot coffee and some haunting black metal. At mornings like these I feel as if I back into the late nineties, firmly locked into my bedroom and listening to those classic albums by Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child and company. Anxiously I awaited the next release by yet another high profile atmospheric black metal band, be it Cradle Of Filth, Samael, The Kovenant or any other of those keyboards loaded extreme musical acts.
Grimorium Verum perfectly fits within that line-up. The band hails from Russia and has actually been around since 1996. Early in this century the band disbanded because of some personal and creative issues, only to rise again four years later. Now, it seems as they are as strong as ever, coming up with a fierce album, their third to be exact. If you're nostalgic for the glorious decade of blackened orchestration, here's your chance to dwell in that world again.
The album opens with the intro 'Relict', which immediately shows the dark bombast that Grimorium Verum stands for. It's followed by the massive song 'Rising Morning Star'. This song returns the bombastic symphonic elements of the opener but adds powerful guitars and haunted vocals to the whole, making the picture complete. From this point on we're dealing with an album that could compete with those classics I mentioned earlier. The focus seems to be more on atmosphere than speed and verocity, resulting in a lot of mid-tempo passages and tons of orchestral arrangements.
Besides nineties black metal, there seem to be some influences from the Götheborg metal scene and old school thrash, most noticable in some of the solos on this album. 'Night Burning Icons', for example, reminds me a bit of bands like In Flames or Children Of Bodom while 'The Vision In Solar Eclipse' breathes the spirit of Samael. These elements and influences run throughtout the entire album, often resulting in stunning pieces of music.
In all, this is an excellent album and a welcome addition to any blackened shelve where those nineties metal gods are present. So I can only recommend checking it out. Even more so, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't buy this if you're a symphonic black metal fan. Everything you like in the genre is present (even clean chants in the brilliant anthem 'In Satan We Trust'). The production is solid, the sound is brutal and the atmosphere is ice cold. This is an awesome piece of work...
http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/grimorium-verum-relict
Симфо-блэковый коллектив из Сыктывкара Grimorium Verum существует с 1996 года и сейчас представляет нашему вниманию свой третий альбом. Cкажу сразу, для меня как ценителя реликтов, чернушных красот и всяческой архаики их “Relict” стал настоящим подарком. Давненько не доводилось встречать настолько крепкий релиз, который можно было бы слушать с таким восторгом. Ведь на новом диске этих блэк-ветеранов есть не только холодная сумрачная атмосфера и атмосферные клавишные прогоны, но и бодрый, почти трэшевый, риффинг. А всё вместе выходит очень даже хорошо.
Уже в начале нулевых появилось огромное количество групп, которые хотели играть симфонично, но совершенно не имели к тому никаких способностей, что привело к возникновению сонма безталанных и криворуких подражателей Dimmu Borgir и Therion. Но к Grimorium Verum это ни в коем случае не относится. Они играют убедительно и качественно, а их мелодии величественны и изысканны. И мелодии не хуже, чем у Cradle Of Filth, Old Man’s Child и The Kovenant. Именно на этих гигантов и ориентируются наши гримуары. Но одно дело ориентироваться и ставить высокие цели, а совсем другое – делать что-то действительно качественное и вдохновенное.
Grimorium Verum – редкий случай и пример второго. Они звучат профессионально, аристократично и утончённо. Как и полагается апологетам чёрного искусства. Прозрачный звук, плотный риффинг, барабанные раскаты, чёткий скрим и неоклассические клавишные Grimorium Verum уверенно и властно ткут свою волшебную паутину, приглашая нас на прогулку по замку с привидениями, где на мрачных гобеленах ещё видна кровь, а в рыцарских доспехах живут пауки и сушёные мухи. “Relict” действительно похож на такую прогулку по ночному аббатству, где вы то и дело встречаете дорогие сердцу образы Covenant, Limboniс Art, Samael, Emperor и прочих симфоничных нетопырей, диски которых вы так долго и кропотливо собирали, выстраивая стройными рядами на полках.
Grimorium Verum действительно напоминают почти все прославленные симфо-блэковые акты, но при этом ни кого не копируют, умело вплетая меткие и удачные цитаты в свою собственную захватывающую историю. Есть на диске и немало неожиданностей: приятный чистый вокал, классическое хэви-металлическое соло в “The Vision In Solar Eclipse” и практически трубы апокалипсиса в “Pilgrimage to Satan”, что в совокупности со стильной обложкой оставляет крайне благоприятное впечатление, а единственный минус – отсутствие в буклете текстов. Но тексты – дело наживное. Да и фантазию тренировать время от времени тоже нужно, а потому с некоторой натяжкой, но всё таки высший балл! Пять звёзд.
http://astartaview.ru/grimorium-verum-relict/
Grimorium Verum are a band from Russia that plays a symphonic form of black metal and this is a review of t heir 2015 album "Relict" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Records and Cold Raw Records.
A very dark ambient keyboard sound starts off the album before going into more of an epic and symphonic direction and after the intro the music goes into a very fast black metal direction along with a great amount of blast beats and high pitched screams which they also mix in with the symphonic elements.
Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the music is more rooted in the 90's style of symphonic black metal and the riffs also get very melodic at times and as the album progresses deep death metal growls along with spoken word parts can be heard in certain sections of the recording and when solos and leads are finally added into the music they also enhance the melody that is present on the recording along with a touch of traditional metal and a couple of the tracks are long and epic in length and one song also brings in a few seconds of clean singing.
Grimorium Verum plays a style of symphonic black metal that is more closer to the mid 90's era and also brings back some of the blasphemy that has been missing in the genre for years, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and Anti Christian themes.
In my opinion Grimorium Verum are a very great sounding symphonic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Rising Morning Star" "Night Burning Icons" "In Satan We Trust" and "Odium".
http://darkdoomgrinddeath.blogspot.ru/2015/11/grimorium-verumrelictsymbol-of.html
Don’t confuse this Russian band with the Ecuadorian black metal entity. Both are old, and have released a large list of albums, but definitely they are not into the same barrel.
These guys orient the compositions to high quality symphonic black metal, and I must say that I really liked it because high doses of orchestrations and musical arrangements with class, and no false pretensions. If you think that this side of the genre has become quite popular due the effervescence of bands like Dimmu Borgir, CoF, Old’s Man Child, Vesania, etc, yeah, you are correct! But you should look inside the underground scene, and meet bands like this one. All tracks have a particular personality and definitely they know exactly what they want, to the point of deliver high doses of aggressive guitar riffs, venomous atmospheres and epic vocal lines. As you can imagine, all tracks bring different orchestra walls, and denotes people involved both in classic music and extreme music. The hybrid works fantastic, and everything has excellent moments musically speaking, where you mind discovers different passages to the dark side. This is a high octane release from Russia, and you should not miss if you are into the bands aforementioned.
https://zombieritualzine.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/album-review-grimorium-verum-relict/
Grimorium Verum (or ‘grimoire of truth’) are a Russian duo named after the ‘legendary’ book of ceremonial magic. They were limitedly active at the end of last century, and they took a five-year break. But in 2006 this Syktyvkar-based act returned, with Retaliation (2008) and Reborn (2011) as result. And now there’s Relict, album number three, once again created by Andrey Zavalnyy (guitars, bass, keyboards, music, orchestrations) and Roman ‘Diamond’ Dokuchaev (vocals, music, lyrics), with assistance of several session musicians.
Relict has a total running time of forty eight minutes and opens with the instrumental title track, an energetic and bombastic, horrific and mysterious intro with many keyboard layers, ritual drum patterns and choir-like voices. Then comes Rising Morning Star, and based on the introduction I just mentioned, the ‘style’ of the ‘real’ songs is pretty predictable. Indeed, Grimorium Verum’s Black Metal is of the fast and furious kind, totally rooted within the Symphonic BM-tradition. This material is very closely related to the likes of, well, somewhat everything that might stand in between Dimmu Borgir (main influence), Immortal Remains, Cradle Of Filth, Troll and Covenant (before the latter became The Kovenant), Limbonic Art, Shade Empire, Old Man’s Child and Penetralia (quite some Norwegian sonic violence, I know…). For sure there is a maleficent lack of originality; what’s more: this material comes with all ingredients that are needed: an ultimately heavy rhythm section, majestic synth passages, piano-alike intermezzi, evil-growling screams and some deep grunts, fast outbursts with fiery leads, and so on; even the additional female voices and clean male vocals, the breaks and tempo-changes, and the neo-classical / operatic / symphonic orchestrations are present (as intro or intermezzo). And believe it or not (but why shouldn’t you): the sound quality itself lies totally within the very same dimensions, being clean and decent, maybe little grotesque, yet resulting in quite an effective equilibrium, mix-wise, when focusing on the different instrumental aspects.
http://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/grimorium-verum
Black metal, which is symphonic, is really brilliant when done properly, as the symphonic arrangements go really well with the brutally, razor sharp rhythms and raspy vocals, as is the case with Grimorium Verum’s “Relict” opus.
Russian extremist black metal band Grimorium Verum play symphonic black metal in the vein of Grief Of Emerald and Dimmu Borgir, but with-their-own personalized touch of ungodly savagery. The repulsive guitar riffs come at you like the devil on heroine, while the orchestral and symphonic parts put your soul at total rest, under freshly dug up soil. Tracks like “Pilgrimage To Satan” and “In Satan We Trust” burst out with total aggression, with pounding drums of doom, and the suffocated yet very raspy vocals screaming bloody murder, along with the vicious guitar parts. The very cool aspect about these two songs is that the vocals remind of Mille Petrozza of Kreator’s “Terrible Certainty” and “Extreme Aggression” glory days. These were the good old days of extreme metal at its finest, and this is the musical and vocal chemistry I miss the most from that time period. “In Satan We Trust” also has some clean male vocals very reminiscent of Borknagar from the mid nineties.
The ten tracks on here have some of the finest orchestral and symphonic inspired synthesizers I’ve heard come from a black metal band of Grimorium Verum’s style. It’s very dark, eerie and so grandeur in its overall atmospheres, which really makes for an interesting listening experience, kind of like a theatrical film for the ears.
“Relict” is a true gem in the sense of total darkness without any mercy on the ears, as Grimorium Verum generates some of the finest auditory blasphemy you could ever get from a symphonic black metal band. When extreme music is not sacrificed for darkened parts or symphonic arrangements, you know you’re getting some genuine black metal at its sickest.
It’s nice to see a band such as Grimorium Verum play with so much intensity, that you can feel the band’s frustrations about life and all its darkest moments, especially when such haunting synth passages engulf your soul in complete misery. Symbol Of Domination Sarjoo Devani
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Check out my favorite cut here, "In Satan We Trust", which is one of the highlights on this symphonic black metal release.
http://www.explicitlyintense.com/reviews/cd-review/grimorium-verum-relict-death-metal-album-review/
A Grimorium Verum egy orosz szimfó black horda. 1996-ban alakultak, majd 2001-ben beszüntették tevékenységüket. Mint később kiderült, csak ideiglenesen, hisz 2006-ban reaktiválták magukat. Pályafutások első időszakában nem jelent meg nagylemezük, viszont az újjáalakulás óta a tavalyi Relict már a harmadik albumuk.
Bár a black metal nem tartozik kedvenc stílusaim közé, a sátánista szövegvilággal meg pláne nem tudok azonosulni, mégis úgy döntöttem, elvállalom az ismertető megírását. A feketefém szimfonikus alfaját sem ismerem túlzottan, nyilván hallottam már a Dimmu Borgirt, meg mondjuk a Carach Angrent, de őszintén szólva egyikük sem tett rám mély benyomást…
A Grimorium Verum zenéje valami miatt mégis megfogott. Persze rajongójuk nem leszek, de el tudom ismerni, amit a Relict 10 dalában felmutatnak. Legalábbis a muzikális részt. Mert az olyan dalcímekkel, szlogenekkel, mint Pilgrimage to Satan, vagy In Satan We Trust nem tudok mit kezdeni. A Symbol of Domination Prod. által "futtatott” korong abszolút minimalista, a booklet egy egylapos, kétoldalas papír, ami a borítón és a produkciós infókon kívül nem tartalmaz semmit. Dalszövegek, zenekari fotó, egyéb "extra” ohne. Tehát szerintem csakis fanatikus gyűjtőknek érdemes megvásárolni a gyári CD-t.
Bár a zenekari fotókon hárman láthatók, mégis csupán kéttagú a formáció. Andrey Zavalnyy kezeli a hangszereket (gitárok, basszusgitár, billentyűk), Roman Dokuchaev pedig a torok. A kvázi harmadik tag, a koncerteken beugró Alexandr Uryavin szintis. Ha minden igaz, ő a Relict-en nem játszik, felbukkan ellenben egy dobos, egy szólógitáros, két háttérvokalista és egy zongorista. Ezekből következik, hogy nem lecsupaszított hangzásvilággal szembesül, aki meghallgatja az albumot.
A címadó egy intróként funkcionáló, szimfós instrumentális tétel. Aztán a Rising Morning Star-ral elindul a (ál)nagyzenekari feketefém vágta. Talán amiatt tetszik ez a korong, hogy a szintetizátorból kicsiholt vonós, fúvós hangszínek nem hatnak olyan olcsónak, műanyagnak, mint sok hasonszőrű bandánál. Plusz a vokáltémák is nyújtanak kapaszkodót. Mondjuk lehetne változatosabb is az ének, mert Roman szinte végig ugyanabban a stílusban károg, de az orgánuma és a témái mégis viszonylag könnyen befogadhatóvá teszik ezt az egyébként szélsőséges muzsikát. Az At the Gates of Darkness heavy metalos riffeket, galoppozást sem nélkülöz és elmondható, hogy a gitárszólók is simán felférnének egy-egy heavy/power lemezre. A nóta közepe táján kapunk egy atmoszférikus leállást, majd a háttérvokalista hölgyből is hallani lehet valamit. A Black Tears Monastery verzéi alatt döngölő gitár és az örvénylő zongorafutamok számomra mindenképp átlag fölöttivé varázsolják ezt a korongot. Ebben a szerzeményben van legnagyobb tere a zongorának és a gitárszóló is eltalált. Összességében az egyik legerősebb tétel a lemezen. A The Vision in Solar Eclipse szinte már slágeres! Kifejezetten hangulatos versszakokkal vértezték fel a srácok.
A dolog pikantériája, hogy pont a két sátános című számba iktattak be rövid, de durván minőségi tiszta/dallamos férfi éneket. Ha ezt másik két-három nótában is megcselekedték volna, akkor még magasabb pontszám figyelne a rubrikában.
Sebaj, hátha a következő lemezükön bátrabban nyúlnak a klasszikus dalolászáshoz!
Aki sok szimfonikus black metalt ismer/hallgat, annak ez lehet, hogy csak egy átlagos alkotásnak fog tűnni. Nekem mindenesetre eléggé bejön, bár tény, hogy nincs túl nagy viszonyításai alapom. Itt van, tegyen vele mindenki egy próbát és döntse el maga, hányadán áll a Relict-tel! Vagy ne tegyen. Nekem nyolc! :)
http://www.femforgacs.hu/kritika/3471/Grimorium_Verum_Relict_2015
I russi Grimorium Verum, gruppo symphonic black metal, vissero una prima breve incarnazione nei tardi anni '90, prima di sciogliersi nel 2001 senza riuscire a pubblicare un album vero e proprio. Si riformarono poi nel 2006 come un duo stabile (Andy Felon a tutti gli strumenti e Roma Diamond alla voce), debuttando nel 2008 con "Retaliation", seguito alcuni anni dopo da "Reborn". I loro connazionali della Satanath Records — attraverso la sotto-etichetta Symbol Of Domination — li hanno notati e hanno infine dato alla band la possibilità di vedere il loro lavoro distribuito fisicamente attraverso il crescente network della casa discografica, insieme alla britannica Cold Raw Records.
La copertina è iconografia symphonic black metal essenziale: un teschio viola emerge dall'abisso con il logo della band sulla fronte. Curiosamente, i titoli di tutti e tre i dischi dei Grimorium Verum iniziano per «Re-», che sembra essere diventata una sorta di tradizione per loro. Per quanto riguarda testi e contenuto generale, l'album non si allontana troppo dal canone black metal, con pezzi come "In Satan We Trust" o "At The Gates Of Darkness".
Ed eccoci alla musica vera e propria. Grandiosa, nera, pomposa, maestosa, eppure selvaggia. Attenzione, se non vi piacciono i tastieroni e le atmosfere solenni imbastite per il dio capro, è molto probabile che questo viaggio non vi dirà niente. Invece, se qualunque cosa composta dai Dimmu Borgir durante il loro apice creativo è parte del vostro «io» più vero, dovreste decisamente dare una chance a questo disco. Quasi cinquanta minuti di enorme sontuosità satanica vi porteranno con la memoria alle origini del genere, con tutta la sua forza e le grandiose atmosfere. Inoltre, la prestazione vocale di Roma Diamond è sentita e variegata, funzionando perfettamente con l'ambiente sonoro creato da Andy Felon.
In definitiva, i Grimorium Verum procedono con la loro missione sinfonica con gran convinzione. Questa uscita è perfetta per chiunque stia cercando qualcosa di non sperimentale e profondamente radicato in uno specifico terreno del metal. Tuttavia, non la consiglierei a persone che non sono state affascinate dal carisma sinistro di Satana, tastiere e teschi viola.
http://www.aristocraziawebzine.com/recensioni/7480-grimorium-verum-relict
The Russian symphonic black metal band Grimorium Verum lived their first stint in the late '90s, before disbanding in 2001 without being able to put out a full-length release. They reformed in 2006 as a stable duo (Andy Felon on all instruments and programming, Roma Diamond on vocals), and debuted in 2008 with the album "Retaliation", while the second effort "Reborn" came a few years later. Their fellow countrymen at Satanath Records — through the sublabel Symbol Of Domination — noticed them and finally gave the band a chance to have their works distributed physically via their growing network, together with the British underground label Cold Raw Records.
The artwork is just classic symphonic black metal imagery, a purple skull emerging from a dark abyss with the band logo on its brow. Curiously enough, all of the three works released by Grimorium Verum sport a title beginning with the syllable "Re-", and this seems to have become some sort of a tradition for them. In terms of lyrics and general content, the album doesn't seem to stray too far from the black metal canon, including such songs as "In Satan We Trust" or "At The Gates Of Darkness".
And here we go with the actual music. Grand, black, pompous, majestic, and yet savage. Beware, if you don't like over-the-top keyboards and solemn atmospheres constructed for the horned god, it is quite likely that you won't enjoy this journey. On the contrary, if everything Dimmu Borgir composed at their peak is a part of your most true self, you should give this record a serious try. Almost fifty minutes of overblown satanic majesty will take you back to the genre's heyday with all its might and grandiose atmospheres. In addition, Roma Diamond's vocals are really heartfelt and diverse, plus they work perfectly with the instrumental environment provided by Andy Felon.
All in all, Grimorium Verum proceed on their symphonic quest with great confidence, this release will be the perfect fit for anyone specifically looking for something not really experimental, deeply rooted in a certain strand of metal. However, I wouldn't recommend this record to people that weren't bewitched by the sinister charms of Satan, keyboards, and purple skulls.
http://www.aristocraziawebzine.com/en/reviews/7476-grimorium-verum-relict
Symphonic Black Metal spielen Grimorium Verum, die aus Russland kommen, und empfangen uns gleich mit einem pompösen Keyboard-Intro, der dem Soundtrack eines Fantasyfilms gleichkommt, majestätisch und orchestral. Danach geht es aber los. Mit hohem Tempo, heiserem Gesang und relativ dünner Produktion für diese Art Musik, besitzen sie ein gewisses Underground-Flair, anstatt mit zu fetten Keyboards oder Plastikproduktion aufzuwarten. Zwar gibt es Keyboardteppiche, doch die Gitarren stehen im Vordergrund. Einige Keyboardsounds klingen sogar mittelalterlich. Dennoch geht es hier zum Glück nicht allzu kitschig zu. Grimorium Verum glänzen als Musiker und Songschreiber. Sie klingen düster und gespenstisch, aber können auch mal in wütende Raserei ausarten. Das ist mal atmosphärischer Black Metal, der nichts mit Folk-, Depressive- oder Suicidal Black Metal zu tun hat. Und das ist auch gut so!
http://www.crossfire-metal.de/12602-0-GRIMORIUM-VERUM-RELICT.html
Když se řekne Rusko a symfonický metal, vždycky si vybavím úžasné album „FireStorm“ od tamní skupiny TVANGESTE. Je to neuvěřitelné, ale tenhle úžasný klenot vyšel už před dobrými třinácti lety a mnozí fans ho do dnešních dnů s úctou opečovávají. Nechci úplně tvrdit, že kvalitativně podobně jsou na tom i poněkud nenápadní GRIMORIUM VERUM, nicméně i oni propadli vášni obdobného žánru. V jejich tvorbě se nejvíce mísí nespočet symfonických poloh, jež jsou součástí blackmetalového základu. Důležitým prvkem nahrávky je ovšem naprosto nepřeslechnutelný feeling, jehož parametry jsou řádně okultní a mystické.
Přestože kapela na svém třetím nosiči nevytváří nic extra neslyšeného, působí na mě „Relict“ poměrně příjemně. Jednotlivým skladbám se dá vyčíst pramálo, přestože mnohem intenzivnější zážitek naleznete až ve druhé polovině alba. Dvě úvodní kompozice jsou spíše rozpačité, ovšem postupem času se album docela hezky rozjede. Kladně lze hodnotit i nespočet progresivních částí, jež se rafinovaně vymykají black metalu a přinášejí o něco více hravosti a melodiky. Grimorium VerumCo se týče vokálů, tak v tomto ohledu je vše tradičně přízemní. Albu vévodí démonický skřehot a povšimnout si lze i občasných dívčích zpěvů.
Jediným eventuálním mínusem tak zůstává absence bombastičtější produkce, což ve výsledku souvisí i s nahrávacími možnostmi a finální kvalitou zvuku. Orchestrace zkrátka nehrají tak prvotřídně, jako jsme tomu zvyklí u žánrových špiček, takže v tomto ohledu je „Relict“ spíše kompromisní nahrávkou. Na druhou stranu ne vždy se naleštěná nahrávka potká právě se silou feelingu, a právě v tomto ohledu GRIMORIUM VERUM bodují takřka na plné čáře. Důležitou informací budiž i zpráva o rozdělení skladatelských kompetencí. Vrchním předákem subjektu je multiinstrumentalista Andrey, kterého doplňuje už jen vokalista Roman, přičemž další plénum je tvořeno už pouhými hostujícími hudebníky, jejichž výčet jsem raději vypisovat nebudu. SATANžel vás však ani blíže nemohu seznámit s konceptem nahrávky, neboť chudý booklet obsahuje jen nejnutnější info. Velká škoda…
„Relict“ je ale jinak album důstojné a dostatečně kvalitní. Myslím, že jako alternativa vůči známějším spolkům hravě poslouží, byť nasnadě je otázka, proč si dávat práci s naposloucháváním neznámého, když je snadnější sáhnout po prověřené kvalitě. O konkurenci na metalovém trhu se snad ani nemá cenu zmiňovat. Pokud se však přece jen dostanete ke jménu GRIMORIUM VERUM, tak se zklamání rozhodně bát nemusíte. Pikantní zprávou na závěr budiž i informace o tisícovém nákladu, který byl v současnosti rozšířen prostřednictvím reedice britských Cold Raw Records. Tak třeba se s tím bookletem „něco“ udělalo… :)
http://rumzine.com/grimorium-verum-relict-cd-2015-symbol-of-domination
Con casi 20 años de formados (y un par de hiatos en su haber) la banda de black metal sinfónico Grimorium Verum lanza su tercer larga duración.
Con un arte de tapa más cercano al death que al black, “Relict” emerge con toda su furia satánica con títulos de canciones por demás de elocuentes.
Pomposo, grandilocuente, bombástico, todos puede ser adjetivos justos para describir esta obra. Salvaje y crudo también, porque no nos olvidemos, esto es black metal, señores.
Majestuosos teclados, atmósferas solemnes, un sonido moderno y alejado de los estándares del true y una producción cristalina, no son impedimento para que los trepidantes blast-beats, los furiosos riffs y las vocalizaciones extremas nos muestren el poderío de Grimorium Verum. Alguien dijo Dimmu Borgir? Bien, por ahí va la mano.
En suma, "Relict" es una verdadera joya de black metal moderno, con algunos de los mejores momentos que yo haya escuchado últimamente. Recomendado.
http://rockarollazine.blogspot.ru/2016/08/grimorium-verum-relict-2015-symbol-of.html