Review by Vladimir on January 26, 2024.

Are you a fan of vampire horror or perhaps gothic horror in general? Or are you perhaps searching for something Lovecraftian? Or better yet, how about all of it, combined with black metal music. If this is what you are looking for, then hop in and join me on this journey to the shadows and beyond, as we explore the castle halls of the Belgian black metal one-man band Bloedmaan, with its debut full-length album Castle Inside The Eclipse released on December 15th, 2023 via Immortal Frost Productions. 

From the very get-go, Bloedmaan gives us a vampiric, epic and melodic black metal with dynamic rhythmic patterns implemented throughout every song. Every song is dominated with melodic and powerful tremolo picking riffs with drums that switch between blast beats, double-bass drumming, mid-tempo drumming and even thrash metal drumming, while the haunting vampiric vocals scream within the halls of the castle walls. The only song that introduces something unexpectedly different, yet welcoming for a change, is the third track 'Haunted Melancholic Obsessions' with its epic clean singing vocals during the song’s chorus, much in the vein of Bathory’s viking metal era. From one song to another, you’ll get this sense as if the album was meant to be like one grand odyssey within the misty and gloomy realms, shrouded in shadow and mystery, taking you to unexpected places where you’d best not dare dwell. This journey to the shadows and beyond goes so smoothly that it even ends on a very high note with the final track 'The Hunter's Dream', which gives this whole story an epic closure with a grand payoff. 

The album’s overall songwriting is incredibly dynamic and each song has an effective and smooth transition from one section to another, without breaking away from the album’s stylistic consistency. Something that I felt while listening to this album is that its atmosphere conveys a bit of a Castlevania vibe with its melodies and even the incredibly stylish cover art that was done by the band’s only member Ronarg. Funny thing about this album is that it’s only 28 minutes and 50 seconds long, which is just a little less than a standard album runtime, however considering how the songs have such a strong and dynamic flow of emotions, you feel as if you just listened to an album that lasted over 40 to 50 minutes. There are so many things on this album that could be easily highlighted as one of its greatest charms, but I think we can all agree that the biggest delight is that this album feels exactly like a journey that doesn’t let go or allow itself to disappoint even at the very end. The album has a very raw sharp yet still polished production that manages to make a raw sound feel so balanced out, all the way down to the guitars and drums, except for the vocals which sound like distant cries from the forbidden woods. 

Indeed, this turned out to be one epic and worthy experience that did not let me down, which could possibly be one of the finest melodic black metal works in recent years. With its total of 5 songs in the tracklist, it made it feel like the number of songs was doubled, especially since the runtime does not feel incredibly short, and yet it keeps your attention going all the way through. If you are by any chance looking for a delightful melodic black metal album with vampiric and Lovecraftian concepts, look no further than Bloedmaan’s Castle Inside The Eclipse. 

Rating: 8.9 out of 10