From the ashes of Veldes comes the newly established Ueldes, who will release its debut album Foreverer on 4th November, and The Smashing Skull Sessions is thrilled to share the first released track, The Lake Above as part of the ONE TO WATCH series. Anyone familiar with the name Tilen Šimon, Sij Music Art or even Mossgiver will have already been aquainted and will know what to expect with this release. The Lake above is a blistering mass of atmospheric black metal with plenty of dark-folk and blackgaze elements, that all culminate into one epic slab of blackened beauty.
The track opens with a folk infused melody that echoes of tudor and renaissance times gone by, but this period in time is short lived as the track erupts into a blast beaten frenzy of melody and intensity, swirling around a vicious harmony that locks into the subconscious with great nobility and grandeur. The vocals soon join the fury, with its phrasing merging in unison with the guitars own euphonic meanderings, creating something a little different for this style of music. Ruthless double kicks and shredded strings power the track along its wicked path, often taking detours through faint acoustic passages, awash with sombre synths. Guitars swell while keyboards arch and slither through the wall of sound, adding great depth and lattitude to the music.
Ueldes’ arrangements are spot on here, allowing each tempo change and rhythmical pattern to grow and develop into the blizzard that it is. Tilen Šimon is a very talented artist, and this new project of his has all the ingredients to make a memorable black metal release. It has all the power, melody and vehemence needed to please all those blackened souls out there, including mine!. I look forward to hearing Foreverer in full when it drops on November 4th. Keep an eye on this one!