Origin: Adirondack Mountains, USA 🇺🇸
Genre: Black Metal
I saw it referred to as a “fresh take on black metal” by some writer for one of the major publications who had no business covering BM. Factually speaking, what Sgah’gahsowáh and Blackbraid are doing is nothing new. To take pride in your homeland’s pre-Christian Pagan/Native roots is the black metal way. And for Blackbraid, it’s done in the spirit of the Mohawk – the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka people of the Adirondack Mountains. In August of last year, Blackbraid released its debut “Blackbraid I”, which proved to be an absolute gem; steeped in both classic BM & tribal tones with acoustic guitar and the Native flute breathing ancient ancestral life’s breath into the music. All the while as it surges with timeless adversarial energy – the binding current from which black metal bands the world over have been drawing their inspiration since the Golden Age.
On July 7, Blackbraid unveiled its latest offering of tribal black metal. With “Blackbraid II”, Sgah’gahsowáh traverses similar stylistic fronts to those of the album’s predecessor, and in many ways the record feels like a natural continuation of what we experienced with the project’s debut. Only with this latest volume the epic of black metal is embraced along with varying cross-genre influences like thrash, heavy metal and prog; particularly in one of the album’s closing tracks, the captivating “Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood”. Mercyful Fate worship and some strident thrash-laden chugs follow a most brutal yet spellbinding opening few minutes. An example of passion, boldness and being in the proverbial zone creatively. It’s these shifts in creative tempo that separate this latest album from the first. But underneath the bells and whistles lies, you guessed it, the essence of true, fundamentally sound black metal. “Blackbraid II” boasts a powerful lead cut in “The Spirit Returns” – a track for mainstream ears and accompanied by striking visuals – a song for every black metal person, but the real allure of this record is found radiating from its true black metal core. The bestial in nature and fluid in composition, “The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand” along with the deeply spiritual, “Moss Covered Bones On the Altar of the Moon” – proud representations of the rich and powerful nature of contemporary USBM.
Over an hour’s worth of Blackbraid this time and in no way does the experience become monotonous or boring. The gripping melodies, the rustic atmosphere and the sheer power of every progression an homage to the ancients and their forlorn mysticism. And once again we find ourselves being lulled into trance by acoustic guitar and Native flute. A quieting of the soul and an awakening of the senses as you take it all in – the spirit of the wolf and of the hawk alive and felt throughout each spell. In honor of one of the legends of the scene, the late Quorthon, Sgah’gahsowáh closes out the album with a cover of the Bathory classic, “A Fine Day to Die”. Blackbraid takes this timeless epic to previously unthought of heights and drives it home with authoritative momentum.
A future as bright as the Morning Star… Blackbraid has made a monumental impact on the international scene with the release of this perfect black metal record, and the hordes, even the legions the world over are reveling in the glory of finality. At long last the Native’s voices are being heard and what better way to get the message than through the ageless current of true American black metal. With “Blackbraid II”, Sgah’gahsowáh sets an unreachable new standard for emerging USBM’ers – a downright intimidating level of scene-dominating prowess and musical adeptness. Not to mention the organic nature of the music, which is something that just cannot be emulated. As enthralling as ritual and as spellbinding as a Siren’s song, “Blackbraid II” encapsulates everything that makes black metal great. An opus.
10/10
Experience “Blackbraid II” by Blackbraid right here as presented by Black Metal Promotion:
~Jeger
