Metal Monday CCXCII - Journey Through Mountains and Valleys

4/20/2020

You know what this Monday needs!? Some fantasy inspired Black Metal! Born from the same vein as legendary Summoning and my more recent favorite Caladan Brood, Belore brings us yet another glimpse into world of magic and might wiht their debut release Journey Through Mountains and Valleys.
This is an absolute blast of an album and as big and vast as the title suggests. Now, none of these tracks have lyrics for me to offer so we must approach this album with a more individual understanding. Simply put, put on your headphones, press play, and steel yourself for an epic ride through a fantastic realm. After several listens I still find myself uncertain on a showcase track so we may as well start with the first one, The Valley of the Giants. I typically will not critique and album however I found something of a personal annoyance yet I must elaborate and clarify on why it really doesn't matter. Besides the fact that my opinion is absolutely worthless, my issue is oddly with the naming of the tracks. I feel the "The" before every track to be redundant and takes away from the mystical allure of each one BUT I did read that each of these is supposed to be a single story so adding that into each track name is fitting when considering they are separate yet part of a whole. Still, I think "Valley of Giants" Whispering Mountains" Bewitching Horns" and "Serenity Of Steel" all sound way better and more attractive when presented that way. I apologize to Belore for my pickyness and want them to know that I support and enjoy their works wholeheatedly.
Journey Through Mountains and Valleys has offered me more than most of the albums in this genre and I find that to be impressive and welcome since I get quality AND quantity. Though I was hesitant about "The Bewitching Horns" because I thought it was a song about my ex-wife however I have been left wildly thrilled by the contents of this album. I strongly recommend this for any atmospheric black metal fan as well as anyone into heroic fantasy such as Warhammer, Tolkien's works, and D&D (I listen to this type of music when I am causing a ruckous in For Honor so it is most fitting for certain games as well). Overall, Belore has been an easy addition to my collection and helped fill a gap in this area leaving me hopefull of future epic works! Keep the spirit alive, brother! /,,/
https://belore-northernsilence.bandcamp.com/album/journey-through-mountains-and-valleys

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THE MAD BARRON

QUOTES I ADMIRE
"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." - from the Wilderness Act, 1964

"I owe my solitude to other people." - ALAN WATTS

“I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so placid and self contained;
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition;
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins;
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God;
Not one is dissatisfied-not one is demented with the mania of owning things;
Not one kneels to another, nor his kind that lived thousands of years ago;
Not one is responsible or industrious over the whole earth.”
― Walt Whitman

"In the ancient world, people placed heavy stones on the graves of the dead so their souls would not wander and inflict the living. I always thought this was simply the practice of superstitious and primitive people. But I was about to learn that the dead can hover on the edge of our vision with the density and luminosity of mist, and their claim on the earth can be as legitimate and tenacious as our own."

- Dave Robicheaux (In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead)