Something wicked this way comes from the northern shores as the unholy trio of Aldorfrea unveil their latest offering Dark Fables of the Night
The albums opening track The Realms of Old with it’s spoken word elements and subtle atmospheric soundscapes serves as a great introduction for follow up title track Dark Fables of the Night
Ior starts of with a menacing folk horror presence, the slow brooding nature soon swirls into a cacophony of fury – the vocal delivery is particular is razor sharp and complimented by and absolute barrage of well delivered solos and drum patterns.
There are some wonderfully nostalgic elements that weave through this album an the first example of this is the seven minute Arpures Hryre the chanting elements are a particular highlight as two the changing of tempos throughout – this is followed by the folk laden Prioress (Sins of the Flesh) which has a sorrowful tale wonderfully delivered at the start which is then met by a thunderous releasing of savagery and this combination is the reason why this in particular is my personal highlight.
I honestly thought that my cat was starching at a door at this point but it was one of embedded soundscapes at the very start of Atorcoppe, this is another longer song coming in a just over nine minutes and honestly the way Aldorfrea use that time feels incredibly well structured and allows even more time to showcase their musicianship. This is followed up with …For The Voyage is Lost with an abundance of collective mournful harshness.
The duo of Phantom Battalion and A Castle Drenched In Moonlight work incredibly well together, nearly identical in length either could work as a solely instrumental piece.
By far the longest track at nearly ten a half minutes The Master of Weapons of Armour is really nicely constructed and with the piano pieces and interwoven sounds add a great dynamic to really solidify the narrative the band have told throughout the albums duration.
Dark Fables of the night is out now via Matriarch Records
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