Falkenbach
Heralding - The Fireblade

THE REVIEW

I thought I had never felt nostalgia in my life, but evidently, I was wrong. I also thought that a song would never have the same effect as a significant loss, but I was mistaken. Finally, I thought I feared nothing and no one, wrong again.

An album is the frame, or rather the backdrop of all this: "Heralding - The Fireblade." Vratyas Vaykas is its mind, its creator, as well as what it represents for the name of his one-man band, Falkenbach. It is an entirely his project, albeit with some collaborations, of course, but the vision and feelings are part of his world.
Honestly, I approached the CD intending to listen to music inspired by the famous (and great, NDA) Finntroll, but for the fourth and last time I was wrong. Yes, what emanates from Vratyas's spirit is a Black/Folk Metal, but light years away from bands like the one mentioned above, light years. The songs are not all brand new, yet they appear so; in fact, two or three of them were taken from the past when the author had decided not to record them due to the lack of truly clean recording quality.

The album presents itself as of remarkable craftsmanship, indeed excellent, and despite a hardening in sound compared to previous works, it maintains all its melody and sweetness, also due to the use of a variety of instruments like the flute, the violin, and obviously a wise dose of keyboards. To make the work even more appreciable, Vaykas adds something of his own not only spiritually, but also materially, and this is his performance as a vocalist: excellent. The singing ranges from the purest and nastiest black screaming to clean parts and evocative choruses, but the technique in both moments remains of the highest level. You will not find violent outbursts of icy north wind in this CD, nor terrible curses brought against Christianity
or hymns to Satan, but rather invocations to Germanic mythology and, above all, identification with situations, feelings, and reflections.

But why linger, the sea waves never do, and indeed "Heathen Foray" does not wait and begins right with the sea's backwash from which rises, grows a brief keyboard intro, and the horse sets off. A man on it rides towards the end of his fears, after numerous vicissitudes, towards serenity. Few well-placed notes, a clean voice, and a flute tell this to the listener. And you risk losing yourself in its melody, in a world that belongs to
no one, but is private. Yet everything vanishes, and the Black part of the album shows its head with the following "Of Forest Unknown" where the speed increases, but not uncomfortably or inappropriately, indeed, everything has its logic.
There is a bond and a pact between the songs. Indeed, here's a new slow chapter with simply sung voice: "Havamal" with its epic flavor that should not be misunderstood, but understood and absorbed. And the scent of battle could not be missing, the initial riff of "Roman Land" announces death and dark thoughts. We return to a cruel harsh voice, a real and true celebration of death with weapons in hand. The thought travels, continues among snowy peaks and a pagan autumn, the "Heralder" rides with golden weapons at the side and a horse as the only friend.
Nostalgia and melancholy in the gray autumn sky, distant lands and a far horizon await.

A final tear scratches even the strongest man. "Laeknishendr" is a track entirely in ancient Germanic language, verses to invoke the writings of the Sigrdrífumál, but if from the words one does not understand the meaning, it is the music that speaks, with a classical guitar interlude to break the inertia of a fast-paced drum, to then restart it and instead conclude in the style of the previous "Heralder", with nostalgia. "Walkiesjar" is the "folk" song that, despite being surrounded by the usual black structures now stands out more. The melody of "Skirnir" offers the last illusion of melody, taking up the initial song like a ring structure, but it is a short illusion. The scream takes over from the initial cleanliness; however, it does not end here. Alternating like spaces between mountains, the two types of singing continue until the end of the track. Horns from a remote position introduce the final word to the album "Gjallar". An entirely instrumental, dreamy, and melancholic song, compelling and yet elaborate. From the few riffs that characterized the previous ones, "Gjallar" instead consists of numerous different passages, but laden with the sensations experienced so far, of the same
simple, but not trivial reflections. The last notes crash against the walls of the white peaks. Everything is now silent.

Discovering the fragility of one's own soul is not easy to understand, nor to accept. With the listening of this work, thoughts and words recur continuously, but everyone has their own and only those. "Heralding-The Fireblade" is a Black Metal work with Folk shades, but for this, it does not stray from the predominant style and the atmospheres should not deceive. Letting oneself be carried away is sometimes not a weakness, but a strength to be alone with oneself. Falkenbach has fully achieved his goal with this.