Every once in awhile, an album captures your attention and immediately convinces you of its vitality and importance. And while it may sound like hyperbole, I can say with confidence that Krigsgrav's Fires In The Fall is one of the best atmospheric black metal albums you will hear this year. In fact, it's one of the best ones I've heard in the last five years.
The band's sound is grand and all-enveloping, but is constructed in a way so that nothing gets lost in the fog. The riffs are all woven together brilliantly, constructing a tapestry of melancholy grandeur that's a sight to behold. For a frame of reference, think of Ashes Against the Grain-era Agalloch channeled through the spirit of bands like Mare Cognitum, Vanum and Midnight Odyssey.
It's the kind of quality material that makes you want to dig into the band's back catalog and just spent a night exploring (I'm partial to The Leviathan Crown myself). Anyway, here's what drummer and bassist David Siroka had to say about this new album:
"The title Fires in the Fall comes from a short poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. The poem, in my interpretation, represents the magic in the changing of seasons from summer to Fall and how there is an intangible mystique in the air. How there is something different coming, almost menacing.
"Taking that basic idea then interpreting how there are celebrations of Pagan traditions (Samhain/Yule) that were reinterpreted into modern Christian holidays, it seems like we as humans have always found mysticism in those autumn/winter times. As we are all heavily inspired during those times of year as well, we took that basic idea, and wanted to create an album with songs that gave off that similar feeling."
For those of you left curious by this, he's referring to "Autumn Fires." A fitting choice of inspiration. This English-major and autumn-lover approves! Check out the album streaming in its entirety below. You can find any relevant pre-order information here.
