Graven
Perished and Forgotten

2002. After a demo and a split with Barad Dur, the Teutonic Graven release their first full-length: "Perished & Forgotten".

Having gotten over the shock of the novelty brought by the title, I set out to listen to these 8 tracks of (as I was told) raw black, with a clear homage to Darkthrone. The German duo of the time, led by Vargsang, clearly studied the lesson of the Scandinavian masters well.

The intro is claustrophobic and evocative, one of the best I have ever heard. The remaining seven tracks make up one of the finest examples of True Norwegian Black Metal that the European underground scene could reveal.

Commenting on the production of such an album is a very subjective thing. I, for example, find it very clean compared to that of bands like Craft or Lunar Aurora. But in this case, the album manages to go straight into your head, and from that moment it’s hard for it to leave.

Very evocative clean screaming. Riffing in pure Darkthrone style, but inspired and original. Compact and precise drumming, alternating mighty outbursts with elegant mid-tempos.

The element that absolutely must be mentioned, which brings this album from an 8.5 to a 9.5: the CONCAVE CHINA! Don't take me for crazy, if you listen to the album you'll understand. The strokes of china that fall suddenly from above are ingenious!

Conclusion: first and only target hit for this now-disappeared entity (Vargsang, the band’s mastermind, left the project shortly after the release of the album reviewed above). I feel compelled to highly recommend it to all enthusiasts of the genre, but also to those who are still taking their first steps on this dark ground.

Edoardo.

P.S. The band is still active, with drummer Vronth remaining, two other members have joined, and in 2005 they produced the full-length "The Shadows Eternal Call", which unfortunately I have not yet had the chance to listen to.

MUST LISTEN!!!