Welcome back metal heads to another episode of the great metal debate podcast - today we're looking at a solo atmospheric black metal band called Blackbraid. According to the metal-archives and bandcamp, the music is described as "Indigenous black metal from the solitude of the Adirondack wilderness."
Personally I really enjoy Native American themed black metal bands. Last summer, I watched a very interesting documentary called Metal From The Dirt; which talks about the underground black metal bands that come from a Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona.
Because of that documentary, I got into the band Mutilated Tyrant and just last week a friend of mine introduced to another fantastic band called Nechochwen.
The YouTube channel known as Black Metal Promotion just streamed the full-length debut titled Blackbraid - I.
I have known about this band for about 2 months now and have been waiting for this release ever since.
The first song is titled "The River of Time Flows Through Me" and it begins with the sound of water in a creek which is definitely an appropriate way to kick things off.
I have a major appreciation for black metal bands that have a soft spot for nature. The first 3 minutes of this track is fast and aggressive much like your standard black metal song structure, but what will get you is the soft and melodic Tempo change.
It is a soothing guitar riff that will make you feel relaxed and further immerse you in the experience. The only other song out there that I can compare this to is "Djinn" by Uada. It's the only other song that I can't think of that follows this formula but sounds very different.
"As The Creek Flows Softly By" is an instrumental track that is perfect for meditation. I love when instrumentals feel like they have a purpose on an album instead of being just another filler track. This instrumental track feels like it truly belongs here instead of completely going to waste.
"Sacandaga" is the second song that was uploaded with an absolutely gorgeous music video complete with breathtaking visuals of the wilderness. It's also a great song that will keep you begging for more.
The first single to be released was "Barefoot Ghost Dance on Bloodsoaked Soil". Though it is the most streamed by listeners, I find it to be the weakest among the other tracks due to a lack of distinction. This one seems to be a straight forward black metal song without the uniqueness of previous songs but it's still good. I do really like how the song ends with a gagging noise for the final scream.
Then we fade into another instrumental masterpiece that doesn't waste anyone's time. It's a track called "Warm Wind Whispering Softly Through Hemlock at Dusk" which has plenty of acoustic guitar and chirping birds to lead us nicely into our concluding song "Prying Open The Jaws of Eternity" which is precisely 10 minutes long.
There's a lot to love with this final song as it manages to pack in a large variety of black metal styles including soft and slow parts and sections that will be straight forward and in your face with minimum aggression.
The first three minutes of this song has a very death/doom kind of vibe with its slow long and drawn out guitar notes and the dragging death vocals. The tempo then changes to a more upbeat and groovy black metal sound. Seven minutes in and we are yet again at another tempo change that brings us back to the death/doom sound again which continues for the rest of the track.
Blackbraid - I is a phenomenal entry into the world of atmospheric black metal that could one day have the potential to become a classic. I’m rating this album 9 out of 10 just for the hard work and effort put into this record. You can support Sgah'gahsowáh's music by purchasing his digital album on bandcamp or if you're a fan of physical copies; he has: shirts, vinyls, CDs and cassettes available.
