Review by Michael on May 21, 2024.

Vocalist Petri Lindroos and drummer Janne Parviainen from Ensiferum have a new battlefield with Satanic North. Of course because it is black metal business they don't appear with their real names but under some mysterious pseudonyms (IIT Caprae and Abyssir). Together with Skomorokh on the guitar and vocalist Von Occult they broke through the gates and stepped out of the darkness to spread hatred and blasphemy in the world (at least that's what is said in the press promo). This is a really high ambition, so we will see if they can do what they promised. And as you can clearly see in the name, they didn't start a hard rock band but do some really old-school black metal here.

Although they are from Finland, they sound more like old Immortal, Dark Funeral, The Abyss and all the Swedish and Norwegian fast played stuff from the 90s. Only in some tracks punky Impaled Nazarene shine through (maybe it depends on the vocals which remind me often of Mika Luttinen like in 'Behind The Inverted Cross' or the title track). The sound matches that decade, too. Drums are a little bit tinny but I guess this matches the sound. The most impacting albums on the guys were probably “Battles In The North” and “Blizzard Beasts” which isn't the worst choice. Lyrically you get the full satanic whole nine yards, no cliché is left out. Only here and there some tempo is taken out of the songs but mostly they blast through the ten blasphemous tracks. This is an amazing old-school black metal album you can fully enjoy. Their black metal is mostly reduced to fast blast beats and minimalistic riffing so that you can absolutely see the energy and hatred that comes from the ten songs. Nevertheless they keep the stuff they do very recognizable and never lose the melodic aspects in the songs. With 'Vultures' they have a catchy mid-tempo song (at least it is for the first almost two minutes) that spreads a slightly relaxed atmosphere and a very surprising change in their music. Just like Dark Funeral with 'Bloodfrozen' on “The Secret Of The Black Arts” – I remember that I woke up because of this slow song after falling asleep because of all the blast beats (and maybe the beers I had). But I guess that Satanic North cannot do slow for more than two minutes, so this also turns out to become a blast beat inferno.

Just like the band said: “we all have the same vision of black metal and this vision is: stop with all the mid-tempo stuff, let's bring back blast beats”. I would say that if you want your black metal frosty and without any trends, this debut is the right thing for you. Here everything works quite well and even the room temperature here sinks about some degrees while listening to it. Apart from the music, also the design of the album is done with a lot of heart. The cover was done by Samuli Ponsimaa, whom the one or the other might know as the guitarist of Finntroll. This is a very detailed and sinister black-white cover from the very depths of hell and if you open the digipack, you will have an upside-down turned cross. What a nice, blasphemous idea. I guess some stuff on the album is done with a twinkle in the band's eye but really doesn't matter. This is really well executed black metal stuff without any compromises and should be acknowledged in the scene for sure!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 25, 2023.

Atmospheric black metal can be pretty boring or quite exciting. Mostly it is presented in opulent song configurations and Walknut from Russia do not present the exception to the norm. Fortunately their one and only album “Graveforests and Their Shadows” from 2007 tends to the good side of the genre’s spectrum. They do not drown in their own tears, but the songs rely on a robust backbone. There are enough metallic guitars that dish up dense and dark lines which seem to go on endlessly. The lead vocalist has also understood the rules of the game. His throaty voice expresses pain, isolation, despair and all the other things you expect when it comes to this form of metal. The well chosen artwork translates these feelings into an impressive picture, although the sky is almost a bit too bright.

Of course, I do not find surprising twists and turns here. The stoic and hypnotic approach develops its full flavour by its uncompromising implementation. To repeat the melody lines many times is not forbidden and this way of proceeding does not uncover a lack of ideas. This is rather a sign for the conviction of the band (or should I better say one-man-project? The second dude delivers only the lyrics). Walknut do not intend to score with a very diverse album, but with a clear and doubtless orientation. Yes, they obviously know the art of Drudkh and they have pleasure in combining the Burzum aesthetics with a generally harsh sound. Maybe they are even familiar with some German bands like Geïst. Yet there is still some room for a certain degree of individuality. And even if you do not agree: at the end it’s a fact that quality beats individuality – and “Graveforests and Their Shadows” cannot be blamed for a lack of quality. It delivers both depth and intensity.

I admit that “Grim Woods” does not fully meet my taste. Okay, I like to hear the transformation of the lead vocalist from man to wolf. His passionate howling reflects this process very well. Anyway, the melodies do not fully hit the bull’s eye (from my point of view, there are no objective flaws). This is always the risk when it comes to an epic composition. If you do not like it completely, such a monument can be quite protracted. But the first three songs after the intro as well as the closer illustrate that Walknut usually find the right harmonies to keep things interesting. Maybe the band should have recorded the material with less reverb, because the production does not sound very organic. But to be clear, the deficiencies in terms of songwriting and mix are no big deal. Waalknut’s debut and farewell album still does a good job and it is another prove for the fact that the underground is full of hidden champions league applicants. This alone is a good reason to lend an ear to “Graveforests and Their Shadows”.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10