Single: Father of All Sin
Artist: Valley of Slaughter
Release Date: June 28, 2014
Genre: Heavy Metal
Length: 3:34
Label: Nazarene Recordings
Written by: Divini Magistri
Produced by: Ardens Martyrii
Norwich may not be the first location one thinks of when one thinks of the coldest, most sinister and darkest of black metal. And yet it is from there that the enigmatic Valley of Slaughter, one of the greatest new black metal talents to emerge from the British scene in some years, hails, bringing an audacious yet eminently headbangable new style with them.
With its vicious fusion of grindcore-styled blast beats, eerily atmospheric black metal tremolo riffing and Divini Magistri's vicious, agonized wails, "Father of All Sin" - released today on the band's own label, Nazarene Recordings - is quite an offputting record at first glance, aided by bassist Ardens Martyrii's inventive production, combining a cold and almost industrial tone with walls of squealing dissonance and feedback. And yet it is not long before snatches of haunting melody begin to appear from the murk. It is clear that this is a band well able to combine melody and aggression in a way few have done before. "This is the result of many varied influences from when I was growing up - I was listening to power electronics outfits like Whitehouse before I listened to metal, and so that was the way I produced it,", says Martyrii (none of the band members consented to give their real names). "That's where the compression came from, but I wanted to make it clear as well. It makes it all sound faster and more disorienting. We want the listener to be lost and to come to terms with that fact."
"Valley of Slaughter is a band of many talents," Magistri, who cuts a strangely dashing and thoughtful figure for such a bloodsoaked, demonic onstage persona, stated in an interview included in the single sleeve. "We included 'Metalwrath' as one of the B-sides. I wrote that in a former band of mine - one called Divine Master, from which I derive my name - as far more of a traditional NWOBHM/power-styled piece. And when the other guys in the band got a hold of it... it was incredible. It became something I could not have imagined when I wrote it." As well as "Metalwrath", the single includes "Murder Ride", a shorter but no less brutal song with clear elements of the Californian prog-death scene in its winding, interconnected sea of riffing. This is a band that could go in many directions, but all of them seem promising.
"We aim for no commercial success with our recordings," Magistri continues, caring nothing for any of these directions, only one - "We wish only to spread blood and fear." Hopefully, they will be doing it for many years to come.
Lyrics:Arisen from the blackest depths our saviour comes
Baptizes us in flames and in unholy crimson gore
He is the father of all sin and of the final days
No chains can hold his bloodied legions down
This is the unholy clarion call
They ought to run while they still live
Laws and morals have no meaning now
For the father of all sin!
He shall lead us to drink of the tainted blood of priests
And violate the wives and daughters of the crowned
His army is the strongest, the last that shall survive
And amongst those chosen few only one last man will stand
A purity shall be found in his lonely existence
Given solely to the father for his servitude
He will walk this earth alone, thankful he can only serve
And the father of all sin smiles over his domain
OOC: Yeah. I've pretty much never written black metal style lyrics before. As you can probably tell... still getting used to this thing ;)
Edited by user 29 June 2014 01:22:24(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified
