Raven Throne - Eternal, Dark CD

Once again Gardarika Musikk brings us another quality pagan black metal band from the vastlands of Russia.  And once again I don't have the Cyrillic alphabet on my keyboard so I am sticking with the English titles of these songs.  In The Grip of Winter sets the tone for the album as it slides in with meaty, yet cold riffs that are tinged with disharmonic edges.  There is a slow heaviness to the riffs that reminds me quite a bit of Aeternus.  An imposing burst of speed covers the initial stage of Poisoning The Light.  Grief Of A Thousand Year Old Winter is a tranquil acoustic guitar and ghostly synth framing a set of persistent, swaying riffs.  A similarly drifting riff forms the wintery foundations of Call It Snowstorm.  The pace is unhurried but determined.  And once again I am reminded of Aeternus as there is a thickness to the riffs that is further highlighted as the tempo becomes faster.  There are tiny accents of melodies trying to poke their way to daylight within the structure of the song.  A galloping rhythm is brought to a roiling boil as By Force, By Hatred gets underway.  Electronic samples pierce the pitchblack riffs as the song builds and gets more violent.  One thing about Rave Throne though is that their music is always under control.  It has a strong feeling of plotting violence, just waiting for the right moment to explode, but Eternal, Dark is not quite that moment.  In Captivity of Thiny Veins has a more forlorn and emotional quality about the music.  It's as if Jonas Renske came in to lend his well of sorrow as a source of inspiration to Raven Throne.  Raven Throne brings a familiar and comforting style that bridges the gap between the deep heaviness of Aeternus with the base paganism and explorations of Enslaved.  If you find the union of those two styles like a breath of heathenish wind across your blackened soul, then Raven Throne will freeze your blood.