Reviews – On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore

The quest to redeem UK black metal continues. Old Corpse Road, along with A Forest of Stars, bucked the trend of their countrymen somewhat by facing the elephant in the room head on. That elephant being a huge Cradle of Filth shaped legacy. A legacy which was sadly defined by an over the top carnival of gothic metal which infuriated traditionalists and hipsters alike. But way back when, in the mid-1990s, an argument could be made that Cradle of Filth were on to something, at least as far as a distinctively English take on black metal was concerned. For more downbeat variants of black metal that draw on a reverence of nature for inspiration, there’s a sense in which the blandification of Fen and Winterfylleth was inevitable in shaping the UK’s contribution to the black metal canon. The Russians, Scandinavians, and Canadians will always have us beat on that score. Cradle of Filth for a time hit upon a very different but distinctively English style, by referencing melodramatic Victoriana, Gothic literature, and a rich history of folk and ghost tales. Sadly they quickly devolved into a cartoonish version of this by 2000 and – when not completely trivialising every facet of the extreme metal project – settled on being an Iron Maiden tribute act.

Enter Old Corpse Road to rescue this legacy. Playing it straight down the middle on every release to date, they draw on many of the same traditions as Suffolk’s finest; replete with melodrama, gothic melodies, and boisterous symphonics. But there’s no denying the fact that they have shed some of the baggage attached to these stylistic leanings. The title of their latest LP ‘On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore’ (2020) leaves little to the imagination as to what they’re up to. Their earlier attempts at this risky style were a little audacious but frankly enjoyable for the fact. But on this release we see them reach a level of subtlety and maturity that elevates their music to a new level of epic gothic metal filtered through symphonic black metal.

There are multiple vocal tracks at work here; from spoken word, to death growls to higher pitched screeching, all of which are deployed depending on the mood or themes that Old Corpse Road are unpacking in the music. Guitars remain at the core of proceedings, guiding us through rich and complex melodic riffs that reference both black and death metal along with melancholy folk refrains worked throughout. There are plenty of calmer, acoustic passages that further bolster up the folk influences, and also lend a stronger thematic unity given the lyrical history of folk tales and mythology that Old Corpse Road are drawing on. Keyboards range from string sections that follow the guitar lines to simple piano melodies and more outright synth patches. Although very much in the tradition of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, there is a patience and subtlety to them that means we’re operating in a completely different environment to these notorious cheese wagons.

Drums are an important (and all too underrated) element in achieving the emotionally broad soundscape that is OGSLTWOOLL. During the more melodic and contemplative passages they’re able to provide a simple, driving beat without becoming a distraction to the delicate melodies. But it’s during the melodic black metal passages that they really shine. Subtly switching the emphasis on the blast-beats and switching between fills at key markers in the chord progressions allows the guitarists to extend the same riffs out for longer without feeling repetitive. The rhythm shifts extend the shelf life of the riffs. Complementary synth lines are deployed in a similar way. This is a great example of getting more from less. Thus this is music that may indulge in similar levels of melodrama common to the excesses of gothic metal, but instead here it comes across as gracefully epic thanks to these simple yet effective tricks

But ultimately, the real charm of this album comes from a more personal and sadly subjective place for this writer. It is quintessentially English black metal. But unlike many of their countrymen, Old Corpse Road has an undeniable character and life of its own. It’s bombastic and epic without being obnoxious. Where so many turn away from this style in favour of achingly boring post black metal influences, Old Corpse Road face head on the potential that was present in Cradle of Filth’s sound, and thus serve as reminder that excitement and Britishness are not mutually exclusive concepts when it comes to black metal.

The allure of romanticized gothic tales and cryptic ethereal extremity was too much to resist. Always mystified by the early Cradle Of Filth sound, I wanted another slice of darkly dramatics from Old Corpse Road who live out that early 90s British Black and Gothic Extreme Metal sound so well. The group are at it again, birthing violent surges of esoteric wonder as barrages of dense sinister synths malign sombre guitar leads. The band craft a great sense of scale and weighty meaning as the music sails through its epic ocean bound tales with a yielding pace and stormy might. Wild shrieks and shrill howls often peak the plunges into the bleak as thunderous slabs of metallic force make a mark on the otherwise rather melodic expressions of these moody tales.

In comparison with what I remember of previous records, the band expand their sound into folksy territory with tones of pagan acoustics and choral signing. Where the album blooms it reminds me fondly of In The Woods, Macabre Omen and the almighty Emperor in one instant, to name a few. It shapes up the album well with more shades of Black Metal than I expected. It sways with a good sense of flow as its lengthy songs pass through plenty of phases, embellishing extremities and finding plenty of musical relief as openings of calm arrive, often eerie and unsettled in nature.

On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore has a quality I completely overlooked until the routine of writing promoted thoughts of production. This recording is sloppy in consistency, dense and harsh at times with a muddy sense of clarity. This actually plays right into its hands. In the age of octane clarity and precision performance it derives character from its looseness, capturing a sound more identifiable with the era of this styles inception. Its made me appreciate its rough edges so much more as it brings one closer to the tale they are telling. That and the delightful sixteen minute track have made this one a fantastic listen these last few weeks.

Favorite Tracks: Harbingers Of Death, The Ghosts Of The Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle

OLD CORPSE ROAD bring us Black Metal, which is deeply rooted in the mythology of the British homeland. The band has been around since 2007 and “On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore” is the third album, so it is high time to take a look at them.

The special thing about OLD CORPSE ROAD is that each of the 5 men has an assigned role: The Dreamer on the drums, The Wanderer works on the bass, The Bearer and The Revenant play the guitar and The Watcher monitors the whole thing from the keyboard. All five also vote.

“On Ghastly Shores …”is more or less a concept album, on which 8 stories are told of the “ghastly coasts” of England, the sea in front and the islands in the middle. Musically, it sounds very much like the mid / late 90s, when keyboards became more important in black metal and ruffled shirts were chic. My case wasn’t theatrical keyboard black metal back then, and I still don’t really get warm with it. If you like this kind of music, you will enjoy OLD CORPSE ROAD .

The folk elements are well and harmoniously integrated into the songs, the clear vocals are not embarrassing and a wave-like atmosphere is built up. Even the different voices – sometimes wheezing, growling deeply, a few spoken words and plain vocals – alternate depending on how it suits the song.

And here we have the great weakness of the album: OLD CORPSE ROAD want too much at once and lose their own common thread. Five voices are a great thing, but the one striking face that you can recognize the band is missing. Most reminiscent of other bands, often of a simplified version of CRADLE OF FILTH , in the folk parts of AETERNUS (on “And So The Night Became”Times) and a position in “Black Ship” has almost something from PINK FLOYD . Overall: nicely done, but probably soon forgotten.

The Old Corpse Road, which has been active for over 10 years, are back again and have fished out an album from the depths of the mystical and mythical lakes and seas around their British Isles, which bears the (usually long and bulky) title “On Ghastly Shores lays the Wreckage of Our Lore “.

This sea monster from an album offers the daredevil listener 8 musical bites, which, you have to say, are sometimes a little difficult to digest. Starting with the fast instrumental and title track “On Ghastly Shores lays the Wreckage of Our Lore”, which already gives a good impression of what you can hear on this album, the actual goings-on with “Harbingers of Death Voices in the Tempest” really going on.

The first title that gets stuck in your head is the immediately following song “Black Ship” with its 11 minutes of playing length, which offers clear vocals and a march-like style of play in addition to cradle-of-filth-like sticking inserts. A lot of elements are built into this song, which, if you listen to the album in one piece, move the boundaries between the individual songs. “Black Ship” is also no exception if a hard break comes after a little over 8 minutes and the song strikes completely different notes with the remaining 2:40 minutes and ends instrumentally (whereby the musical theme of the song is preserved). The same applies to other songs that slip into a different sound after a certain playing time.With the best will in the world, I cannot say what is the reason for this trick.

The use of instruments beyond drums, guitar and bass makes the pieces a somewhat confusing but exciting listening experience. However, I did need a few runs for this. The disc sounds too strange after 1-2 turns. I noticed that when I thought, “Oh, the next song is coming” and then I was in the middle of some song.

The piece “As Waves devour their Carcasses”, which consists almost entirely of narrative texts and the keyboard, represents an interesting change between the hits. Later on the drums will be played, but that’s about it. A calm piece of music between many black metal grenades, of which the successor “Demons of the Farne” takes the first few seconds before it really takes off. In this song – as in many others – there is the typical old Norwegian Black Metal sound with changes between mid- and up-tempo, Keifgesang with underlaid reverb and sinister guitars. Each of these songs is its own evocation and breathes the spirit of the 90s. In these more classicTitles are actually little experimented and hardly any folk metal elements are incorporated.

The production leaves nothing to be desired. Despite ancient evocations in music and lyrics, there is a crystal clear mix with modern sounds on this album. With a running time of over an hour, the plant also offers enough material.

Conclusion:
The third studio album of the British Old Corpse Road has become more popular with me with every spin. You have to come in first, but when you are in the music, you can only really celebrate. But party wear or for the background the work is nothing. Nevertheless, Black Metal fans should check it out.

Favourite Track(s): Black Ship, Demons Of The Farne, Sea Fire, The Ghosts Of Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle

Whilst I was busy getting wrapped up in the throes of fellow English black metal adventurers  Winterfylleth’s The Reckoning Dawn, this stunning album slipped under the radar, until now! I have known about Old Corpse Road for a few years but hadn’t listened to them much in any great detail, and I will happily admit that I am a damned fool and have missed out considerably. Yet again an English black metal band have released a stunning album this year and On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore (which I’m abbreviating to OGSLWOL, for obvious reasons), is a stunningly dark and symphonic journey of black metal music. Delving into the old and the new and bringing the elements together for a haunting and folklore laden album that will have you wanting to know the stories behind the songs.

Musically, my first impressions are that this is black metal on a grand stage. Taking some of symphonic melodies of Dimmu Borgir, albeit more piano and synth focused and mixing it with the aggression Immortal to create a beast incarnate. I’m also reminded of very early Cradle Of Filth, except it has been written and constructed to a much higher standard. The imagery is what strikes me most about the album, the UK’s coastlines are often some of the most beautiful places, but many have a harrowing and haunting past. With this in mind, I believe the band have really captured this haunting aura with every song, as the sea is a cruel mistress and will take you if you are unwise enough to think you’re better than her. The idea of a ghostly Black Ship, floating upon aggressive, storm risen waves is very vivid in my mind, and with the lament that is As Waves Devour Their Carcasses, the world the band have created is very immersive. The song Black Ship feels more like a classical piece with a foreboding organ (akin to the one Davie Jones plays in The Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), with multiple movements to accentuate elements of this ship’s story. Of course the other song that outdoes this is The Ghosts Of Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle, which also has a very epic, classical symphony feel. I won’t go too much into the history of the castle, but upon further reading it has an interesting story. The song itself is based upon Sir Guy The Seeker, a Northumbrian folklore tale associated with the castle;

“Different versions of the story vary slightly in their details, but typically involve a knight, Sir Guy, arriving at Dunstanburgh Castle, where he was met by a wizard and led inside. There he comes across a noble lady imprisoned inside a crystal tomb and guarded by a sleeping army. The wizard offers Guy a choice of either a sword or a hunting horn to help free the lady; he incorrectly chooses the horn, which wakes the sleeping knights. Sir Guy finds himself outside Dunstanburgh Castle, and spends the rest of his life attempting to find a way back inside.” (Oswald, et al., 2006)

I believe the song captures the eeriness of the castle and the emotions involved with this intriguing folktale. For the album as a whole, each song has been phenomenally composed, providing and equal mix of raw aggression with delicate melodies and haunting atmospheres that accentuate the stories that are being told through the lyrics. Overall, I believe the album is incredible, it has everything that I love; stories, crushing riffs, beautiful melodies and an unforgettable atmosphere! This album has been an enjoyable experience that puts me on the haunted shores of this Satanic Isle, for a contextual and circumstantial listen I will have to listen to this album on the beach in future to really soak up the vibe.

From a production standpoint, it is a very raw album, which adds a multitude of layers of texture to the already highly atmospheric music. With the album being dark, the strangely warm and fuzziness to the album is a contrast that, in my opinion, works very well. With the sound effects of the sea and the light hissing in the background the album sounds like it has been around for decades. This effect just adds to the album, with it being steeped in folklore and history. The distorted guitars are scratchy and distorted yet have a good mid to low range so it’s not overly trebly. The drums sound a bit quiet but when you realise how spread out the overheads and toms are the thumping kick and pounding snare take up a good amount of the centre field and fill the mix with their thunderous rhythms. The bass tone, is very warm and supports the guitars whilst filling out the low end. My favourite parts however are the synths and organs, they add such a grand ornateness to the music and sound huge in the mix, filling out the top end and supporting the low end. Overall, this is a very interestingly produced album, with hallmarks of raw black metal with dives in and out to the more symphonic side of the genre.

I can’t believe that this album nearly slipped under my radar! I’ve enjoyed every second immersed in this dark and turbulent world that OCR have created. I recommend that you do the same and let the Black Ship take you to the ghastly shores in which our lore lays in wreckage.

In the four years since their last full length, ‘Of Campfires and Evening Mists’, UKBM has missed Old Corpse Road. They’ve always felt a bit more visceral than a band like Winterfylleth without losing any of their traditional heritage themes. Their newest album, ‘On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore’ is another fine addition to the canon of black metal from the isles of Britain, and it is out in May on Trollzorn Records.

The ethereal blast of the opening title track sets the scene for the tales of watery myths and legends to come. The tidal, ahem, tempests of ‘Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest)’ sweep you along on waves of icy riffing, while cold melodies seep into your skin and leave you shivering in their wake. Vocals like the shrieks of a howling wind entwine with storytelling elements, bringing us the eerie tales of yore. ‘Black Ship’ is a great example of their epic scale and ferocious black metal combination. Acoustic folk builds into a fearsome maelstrom of tremolo riffing, savage growls and huge clean vocal sections that give this song a scope as vast as the open sea. And when that slower section comes in, with sweeping leads? Oh my…

Old Corpse Road have struck pure black gold on this record. It marries the barely tamed power and rage of traditional black metal to the kind of grandiose folklore vision that the likes of Enslaved or Drudkh brought to the genre. ‘Sea Fire’ feels like if Melechesh were from Yorkshire, not the Middle East; capturing an ancient feel without losing strength. The gothic piano of ‘As Waves Devour Their Carcasses’ provides a ghostly respite from the fury, before the one-two hit of ‘Demons of the Farne’ and the titan ‘The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle’. The former thrashes with fiery fury while the latter soars on a blizzard wind through 16 minutes of some of the most epic black metal you may hear this year.

‘On Ghastly Shores…’ is a black metal opus of grandeur, of blackened majesty and frozen beauty. Old Corpse Road feel sometimes a little unsung beyond these shores, but with albums like this that should change. This is now the high watermark for 2020 black metal. Impeccable.

British Old Corpse Road initially stands for black metal, but adds small touches of folk plus some melodic and atmospheric passages to create a beautiful whole. The band started in 2007 and this “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore” is the third full-album of the company that also performed a demo and two splits. Lyrically, the company opts for the folklore and mythology of their homeland. The group consists of five gentlemen, who also take care of part of the vocals, so that you can hear a lot of different voices that cover almost the entire range of styles. You will hear the typical black metal vocals (which are clearly in the majority), but also epic folk vocals, a normal narrative voice, and deep put grunts. It is all covered and, together with the many changes in tempo, strength and rhythm, provides a lot of variation. On the other hand, it ensures that attention never has a chance to relax. The title track is allowed to open and does this instrumentally. It has become a powerful and energetic song with a haunting and threatening undertone. So it is only from “Harbingers Of Death (Voices In The Tempest)” that vocals make their appearance, but they take this track, and every track that follows, to a slightly higher level. After all, it provides even more variation so that the energetic pieces emit even more strength and threat, which can then be placed in sharp contrast with the quieter fragments that are closer to folk. Note: pure folk is not covered here, except for a few accents. Old Corpse Road is therefore perfectly in place with the label Trollzorn Records and perhaps this will also ensure that the band will be able to profile itself more and better, because, let’s be honest, here on the European mainland the brand awareness of Old Corpse Road going up a notch. We hope this will succeed with these “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore”. Lovers of the (sub) genre – let’s stick to black metal with folk / pagan influences – will appreciate this approximately sixty-five minute trip.

“ A calm sea has never made a good sailor. ”(English proverb)

If there was indeed a group whose existence I had shamefully forgotten … And I, who absolutely do not believe in chance, to see that my valiant captain to guide the ship Soil to the ends of the world offers me the latest album of ‘ Old Corpse Road almost made me doubt my agnosticism. But since I know that the Gods cannot have any other side than that of my long shadow Metalfreak (Nd Metalfreak : you, you still have something to ask me ), I had fun, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the group that I am going to review (although, as it is Folk that our proofreader adores… [ indeed… asshole !: p ( Hans Aplastz)]), to make my divine pantheon to me and I am about to make a kind of blasphemy. So here it is:
– Metalfreak will be Baldr, god of Light and Beauty, because even Colgatesson, god of toothpaste, becomes dark before him, or Sæming, god of athletes, because he is quite athletic anyway.
– Antirust will be Andhrímnir, god of chefs, since he loves to eat and especially raclettes.
– BloodyBarbie will be Lofn, goddess of forbidden love because, yes, loving her will be forever forbidden.
– Kenpachi will be Freyr. Nice honor in itself but it is mainly because he always has the pole (Nd Metalfreak :not bad for a resident of the Swiss Confederation ) and also because we secretly love each other.
– Hans Aplastz will be Loki. Yes, because it hides behind improbable nicknames to throw these tricks into our copies of schoolchildren (especially mine [ my pleasure  ( Hans Aplastz )]).
– Celtikwar will be the crows Hugin or Munin but, beware: he only likes tits and he is Breton… [ no one is perfect, not everyone has the chance to be Normand XD ( Hans Aplastz )]
– Arno will be Bragi, god of poetry. No need to say more (otherwise it’s too long).
-Cassie will be Idunn because, as the keeper of the apples of youth, she will always keep her fiery youth.
– our interim Freddy will be Heimdall, for his ability to see everything, even behind a smoke screen or dirty, shaken hair!
– And me, I would choose Kvasir but, as I do not have all the powers here and I am rather a pariah of the succinct writing, I would say Nidhogg!

Okay, let’s stop blaspheming and go to the chronicle!

Old Corpse Road is a group with a rather strange name (wait until you see that of the albums!) But it is especially a group made up of the same members since the beginnings, that is to say 2007, and originating in Darlington in England. My first contact with our English friends dates back to the release of their first album ”  Tis witching Hour … as Specters we haunt this Kingdom  ” in 2012 (I warned you) that I really liked for the particular sounds that were coming off. And then, nothing. As if I had stored like a vulgar sticky note in the bottom of an Old Corpse Road drawer in my brain. Meanwhile, the group released ”  Of Campfires and Evening Mists  ” in 2016 and it is on a logic of great temporal geometry that the last born ” On ghastly Shores lays the Wreckage of our Lore  ”was released four years later. An incredible constant!

Note for my chronicler gods: do not come and complain about the length of my chronicles when you see such titles!

The artwork is once again a beautiful painting. In blue tones this time, with once again a raging sea landscape on which a boat hardly goes offshore under a cloud-laden sky. Honestly, it is not the group’s fault because I suspect that my previous chronicles did not lead to a coalition for paintings in the form of paintings but I am a little tired of commenting on crusts so I go on my way in two words (and this time it’s true): it’s pretty [ bah no, it’s always three and not two … hey hey hey … ( Hans Aplastz )]. Like what the nurse that I am recognizes that there can be pretty scabs …

On the other hand, as regards music, it is another pair of sleeves, because I had stayed on this sound so “vintage” which had struck me in the eardrum and which had finished pleasing me in ecstasy before the first album of Old Corpse Road . And then I still remember the song “The Crier of Claiffe” and its magnificent folk intro . There was a bit of this folk metal spirit that existed in groups like Aes Dana , or Bran Barr , which I have never found since and which, I must admit, I sometimes miss. So I naively said to myself that I would find this spark that gushed back then … but in fact no … But even better! The music is resolutely black metalwith, however, melodies that sound pretty “folk” or epic, I don’t know which term to use. Imagine yourself in a land full of stories and you will understand what I mean. We are not strictly speaking on Pagan because the music does not list myths or legends, rather a warlike spirit very “Anglo-Saxon” with bellicose percussions [ then finally, it is “War Metal” ? : p ( Hans Aplastz )], rainy atmospheres, very solemn clear songs and always, obviously, this kind of dampness that we find in the tortured atmospheres of Black Metal. The use of keyboards casts even more on my feeling of very warlike music and where we imagine men with their hands on their hearts, ready to fight. Like what, there is really a peculiarity among our English neighbors, proud of their history so rich and so powerful. You take the song “Black Ship” and it is exactly an enumeration of all that I have just stated!

And if the emotion is de rigueur, it is partly due to a very aggressive sound, which is surprising because there is an extraordinary ability to alternate very epic parts, and hyper aggressive riffs, sharp as a blizzard in Scotland (oops). No, sincerely, the sound has changed since 2012 but very favorably. There has been a definite improvement and what seemed to me to be an impeccable sound at the time remains only a heap of dust compared to the progress which has been made since. The studio work was impeccable across the board and for Black Metal, I am conquered by this sound which mixes the “old school” side and the modern side with samples well suited. I will even go further by saying that the concept being located on the sea, we can easily imagine a boat trip like a terrible odyssey, a raging sea that almost capsizes an old raft. “On the dreadful banks rests the wreck of our knowledge” will therefore never have borne its name so well!

I have to admit that I love guitars. Why especially them? Because in the end, they are the ones who carry everything; the samples are too scattered to be major, the drums are good but no more, sometimes even a little dissonant depending on the riffs, the bass is absent in the mix … but then the guitars are the instruments that carry everything here. And they do it with great force!

In fact, all the concept being located on the sea, the names of the songs follow this logic well and I am a little frustrated not to have had the texts in the pressbook. So I turned carefully to the song which seems to me to be the only point of slight discord that I have on the album. I find it, in fact, not bad (because it remains scream) but poorly mixed. We hear it a little too mechanical, even slightly too loud. It’s a shame because it covers the whole thing a little and stands out too much. But beyond that, the different alternations between the majority scream, the narrated parts, and the passages in clear song are very good and made in an intelligent way so as not to be overflowing from everywhere. Wisely placed, you add undeniable cachet to an album andOld Corpse Road has understood this and has always done so. So it is with a touch of emotion that I find these songs and I am not very proud!

We finish here because I will become redundant by dint of plunging back into my memories. If you have known, like me, the beginnings of our English neighbors, know that the road has brought hope and that progress has paid off. The last album from Old Corpse Road is an excellent CD, full of prowess and setbacks told in a single album. A true ode to marine adventure. I managed to get carried away by the waves that sometimes crash into my ears with the help of swells and shoals. I, who have a phobia of everything underwater, I can’t help imagining myself on their ship and going to the end of the world. This third album is therefore a nice (re) discovery of the group for me and I think that it will definitely decide me to acquire all the discography.

This band belongs to that wave of Black Melodic bands that seek to recreate something different. English band from Arlington and created in 2007, in 2012 they participated in a tribute to Bathory, althouhttp://www.avenoctum.com/2020/05/old-corpse-road-on-ghastly-shores-lays-the-wreckage-of-our-lore-trollzorn/gh the shots do not go there, I warn you. This melodic keyboard black metal band that we could also think is oriented towards Ambient and Folk presents their third full length “On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore” that will be released through Trollzorn Records on April 24.

Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore is the song that gives the album its title and curiously it appears at the beginning of the album and it is a well-executed instrumental song, without excessive brilliance, but nothing can be said for it, neat and professional with a well-executed guitar tremolo and a mix between Ambient and Pagan Metal with its melody.

Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest) is the second theme…. They are compared to the Cradle of Filth, every time a melodic Black band comes out from England they will always be compared to the Cradle of Filth, the commercial hook that every band needs to start. I would rather compare them to The Meads of Asphodel.

Black Ship does have that well-executed acoustic guitar-based medieval code. This would have been signed by the Black Sabbaths of the Tony Martin era on the Tyr album surely. It has that classic touch and that elegance. After that the theme that lasts about eleven minutes ends up starting but it will not be as interesting as in its first two minutes.

Sea Fire has the construction of a Bathory in its days of Viking Metal but these English give it a more melodic touch always with a keystroke and acoustic accompaniment.  As Waves Devour Their Carcasses  starts with some spaced notes of the piano and the noise of the seagulls on the beach … Do you remember when we could leave home and take a walk on the beach? … Anyway. A beginning where this band shows that there are no more labels, that there are only musicians, because this song at its start sounds like a mix between Savatage and Virgin Steele and maximum respect for these two bands, especially the first one.

Maybe they get into an unnecessary maze with the Demons of the Farne cut where they abuse the atmosphere too much and forget about Black metal even if it is on a commercial plane, still there are good times like intense neoclassical riffs… Black is just a more nuance in their music, this is actually a melodic metal band.  The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh CastleWith that organ work that gives it an air of Horror Punk and Gothic, well accompanied by acoustics, Neofolk’s medieval elements contribute a lot to his music. Sixteen-minute song that never gets boring. For starters, they manage to maintain a sense of rhythm and interest throughout the song at a change of pace so that the party doesn’t stop. But there is something more important than all this that is to manage to sound with feeling and passion for 16 long minutes, they succeed and inadvertently go from being a good album to a remarkable album, a small nuance but very important.

Waterlore is the farewell to the album, it is a very slow instrumental Ambtro outro and I would say somewhat sugary. They are elegant and have moments, always melodic by the way, where they shine with their own light. I would tell them not to look at the labels and to approach this band without fear because it is a melodic band with a lot of feeling that anyone can like. Discover this band, that is the objective of Metalbrothers.es, to tell you about bands that they don’t talk about on any other website.

Feeling: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Technique: 4/5
Production: 4/5

New Wave of British Heavy Metal is probably all familiar by now, but British Black? Old Corpse Road takes its interpretation of the genre and delivers a scary version of its country history, with new album On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore. The title track Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore opens the disc with a strong open atmosphere that brings the listener to the stormy sea on the coast.

The guitars grow big as the strong wind, with the drums as wild as the waves hitting the rocks. Harbingers of Death is the second track and continues after the first moment the storm increases in strength. With several singers, it becomes really ghostly and evokes a whole herd of cursed gasps that pulls down everyone who crosses their path in the depths of the coast. The Dreamers tormenting drums show the listener a bloody battle between a crew and the guests in a severe storm where survival does not exist. With guitars performed like the whipping rain by The Bearer and The Revenant one feels how the heat seems to be sucked out of the body and the soul begins the transformation into half-death. The fifth song As Waves Devour Their Carcasses brings you to the day after the horrific blow that happened during the night with the majority of corpses floating ashore.

The gulls ‘slopes fill the air while the waves gently caress the beach where the bodies have begun to be taken care of by wildlife, The Wanderers’ narrative voice clarifies the event and gives the record a calm after the terrible storm that hit the coast. In the evening, Demons of the Farne arrives in the sixth track of the album and devours these lost souls who linger. The joint song visualizes the agonizing event that takes place where the guests fight for their lives, the crew of the black ghost ship goes into battle with the demons for the chance to expand their damned crew. A new way to breathe life into dark legends and stories from the British Isles. Atmospheric and haunted black metal with ghosts, demons and death. Rating: 7/10

This band belongs to that wave of Black Melodic bands that seek to recreate something different. English band from Arlington and created in 2007, in 2012 they participated in a tribute to Bathory, although the shots do not go there, I warn you. This melodic keyboard black metal band that we could also think is oriented towards Ambient and Folk presents their third full length “On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore” that will be released through Trollzorn Records on April 24.

Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore is the song that gives the album its title and curiously it appears at the beginning of the album and it is a well-executed instrumental song, without excessive brilliance, but nothing can be said for it, neat and professional with a well-executed guitar tremolo and a mix between Ambient and Pagan Metal with its melody.

Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest) is the second theme…. They are compared to the Cradle of Filth, every time a melodic Black band comes out from England they will always be compared to the Cradle of Filth, the commercial hook that every band needs to start. I would rather compare them to The Meads of Asphodel.

Black Ship does have that well-executed acoustic guitar-based medieval code. This would have been signed by the Black Sabbaths of the Tony Martin era on the Tyr album surely. It has that classic touch and that elegance. After that the theme that lasts about eleven minutes ends up starting but it will not be as interesting as in its first two minutes.

Sea Fire has the construction of a Bathory in its days of Viking Metal but these English give it a more melodic touch always with a keystroke and acoustic accompaniment.  As Waves Devour Their Carcasses  starts with some spaced notes of the piano and the noise of the seagulls on the beach … Do you remember when we could leave home and take a walk on the beach? … Anyway. A beginning where this band shows that there are no more labels, that there are only musicians, because this song at its start sounds like a mix between Savatage and Virgin Steele and maximum respect for these two bands, especially the first one.

Maybe they get into an unnecessary maze with the Demons of the Farne cut where they abuse the atmosphere too much and forget about Black metal even if it is on a commercial plane, still there are good times like intense neoclassical riffs… Black is just a more nuance in their music, this is actually a melodic metal band.  The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh CastleWith that organ work that gives it an air of Horror Punk and Gothic, well accompanied by acoustics, Neofolk’s medieval elements contribute a lot to his music. Sixteen-minute song that never gets boring. For starters, they manage to maintain a sense of rhythm and interest throughout the song at a change of pace so that the party doesn’t stop. But there is something more important than all this that is to manage to sound with feeling and passion for 16 long minutes, they succeed and inadvertently go from being a good album to a remarkable album, a small nuance but very important.

Waterlore is the farewell to the album, it is a very slow instrumental Ambtro outro and I would say somewhat sugary. They are elegant and have moments, always melodic by the way, where they shine with their own light. I would tell them not to look at the labels and to approach this band without fear because it is a melodic band with a lot of feeling that anyone can like. Discover this band, that is the objective of Metalbrothers.es, to tell you about bands that they don’t talk about on any other website.

Feeling: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Technique: 4/5
Production: 4/5

After an imperious and agitated introduction, Old Corpse Road unleashes black metal according to the dictates of the 90s, withkeyboards that contribute to the atmospheres by giving both a symphonic cut and a greater resurgence of these dark, gothic scenarios, infested with horrible creatures. The band has always incorporated legends, myths, beliefs and past folklore stories from England into the lyrics. After the majestic title track that acts as an overture, OCR launch two tracks, “Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest)” and “Black Ship”, which show a fair proximity to the Cradle Of Filth of the first few years. However, the same “Black Ship” presents a very pagan black metal introduction and a final section of viking character, despite the fact that the song stretches in the same direction as the previous composition. However, both offer dark, grim atmospheres.

From good English,OCR use sound matrices from Cradle Of Filth and in general from a certain British black metal from decades ago, such as Hecate Enthroned or the never forgotten December Moon. However, the band also offers unexpected style variations. “Demons of the Farne” has something more personal, mixed with dark metal atmospheres.

“The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle” touches sixteen and a half minutes and represents a rather complex suite, which also implements gaits and majestic atmospheres. Surprising, for quiet and grace, the final “WaterLore”. In it, distortion-free synthesizers and guitars create an extemporaneous scenario. “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore” has something low heard elsewhere, but there is no total appropriation of other people’s models. The British make the pieces dynamic,in evolution and with often interesting ideas. The use of viking-style vocal and musical scores in particular, although to a lesser extent than in the past.

Third album by the British, in which they maintain their style, and continue on the path of melodic metal even with some symphonic elements, although everything they do you will have heard before.

When writing for a Spanish website, it was a rule or recommendation that when making a review, the comparison with other bands be avoided, and so far I do not understand why, since most bands in the world sound like some “parent” band , some more than others, so write it. Apart from that, those of us who make reviews only serve as a guide or reference for those who read us, therefore it is more valid and understandable for people to put a band as a reference, instead of mentioning musical technical aspects that most of them surely do not they care, although they are valid.
Now, let’s go to the music on this album and the justification for the previous paragraph, because you would have to be deaf not to realize that this band is a carbon copy of the best Cradle Of Filth, and yes, if you listened to albums like or, this band is about go back to those times, in every way. I do not know if it is right or wrong, because the songs are good, and it is the best copy of Cradle O Filth band I have heard, since it is not the first band trying to do it. “

Long songs, eleven, seven, nine, up to sixteen minutes each tell stories, in this case of British folklore, with passages of all kinds, the voices equal to those of Dani Filth dominating the treble and some guttural around, there are parts narrated, the only thing they lacked was to include a female voice. When I started listening to this album, I was surprised by the song because it showed a melodic band with guttural voices, however, as the minutes passed, a Dani Filth appeared around there. Another with touches more and less “” is, hence the rest returns to the same. “Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest)” black “reloaded” folk filth “Black Ship”
Good album, good songs, I think that at this point few care about “originality”, and to soften that detail, the label puts in the description of the band as, excellent term for the bands that copy the music of Cradle Of Filth and Akercocke’s visual pose.

Review by Jerome on April 21, 2020.

The gothic literary movement, which emerged in Britain during the second half of the 18^th century, brought a fundamental change to horror literature. This literary style, which was introduced by British authors, emphasised on pleasurable horror, most typically a mix of beauty, romance and fear. The style would reach its peak in 1818 with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which is considered today as being simultaneously the first modern horror and science fiction story. It is thus undeniable that the gothic literary movement, in both its development and expansion, is deeply rooted in British culture and history.

It is with a desire to translate dark British folklore into music that the band Old Corpse Road opted for a distinctive gothic sound infused within their brand of black metal. While the style had been previously attempted by the like of Cradle of Filth and Hecate Enthroned, Old Corpse Road presents, in their 2020 album On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore, a different and refreshing take on the genre. 

This third full length is a natural progression from the second album, Of Campfires And Evening Mists. As such, the sound we came to expect from Old Corpse Road is ever so present. The grandeur displayed by the background orchestral arrangements is ever so present as well as the slow and melancholic guitar harmonies all of which are laden on a of 90s black metal foundation. While the influences coming from Cradle of Filth’s early albums are undeniable on the surface, a deeper inspection reveals a big difference in their interpretation of this gothic inspired black metal. In fact, Old Corpse Road has a much more introspective approach where the raw aggressivity of black metal meets beautiful harmonic guitars and folk inspired melodies. ‘Black Ship’, the third song of the album, best exemplifies this meshing of styles and emphasis on grandiosity. In fact, while the first few minutes of the song are dedicated to both an acoustic intro and a aggressive black metal section, the second half of this eleven minute song is dedicated to ominous melody that is alternatively played on organ, guitar and finally on what sounds like an Egyptian oud. This musical progression and emphasis on grandeur is both what made Old Corpse Road unique and interesting.

The upgrade in production is noticeable through a better mixing of the vocals. In fact, being such a central piece to Old Corpse Road‘s music, the usage of multiple type of vocals by different band members allows to showcase a lyrical diversity. The song ‘Harbinger of Death’, the shortest and probably the straightest forward song on their album, shows how the different type of vocals, namely spoken words, growls, shrieks and chants brings different colors to the song. The longest song, ‘The Ghost of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle’, is also a clear example of how switching the vocal style can impact the overall feeling of the song. Its beautiful outro is very effective in giving the listener the distinct impression of having someone recount a folk story by having the lyrics delivered through spoken words. 

The folk elements present in the second album Of Campfires And Evening Mists are mostly relegated to the background in this third full length album. ‘Sea Fire’ is arguably the only song that contains overt folk elements which is delivered through the group chanting. While it does reduce an amount of complexity within Old Corpse Road‘s sound, it does leave more space for experimental songs such as, ‘As Waves Devour Their Carcass’, and ‘Waterlore’, both of which play with a degree of ambient an atmospheric textures.

‘Demons of the Farne’, the sixth song, is the album’s best representation of a common theme in gothic literature, namely the juxtaposition of romance and horror. The background orchestration creates a grandiose and beautiful atmosphere where dismal, sorrowful and melancholic melodies are intermittently played giving the listener feelings of both fear and awe.

Old Corpse Road opted for a style which was much rather influenced by the gothic subgenre on On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore as guitar harmonies, the orchestral arrangements and the vocal delivery all focus on this subtheme of beauty and romance within a very dismal background. As such, the folk instrumentation and melodies which were present in Of Campfires And Evening Mists are not as much present. Old Corpse Road‘s musical progression is certainly interesting, and I would certainly recommend the album for anyone interested in exploring a very unique sound of British black metal.

United  Kingdom’s  Old  Corpse  Road  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  folk  influenced  style  of  atmospheric  black  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  “On  Ghastly  Shores  Lays  The  Wreckage  Of  Our  Lore”  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Trollzorn.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  on  some  of  the tracks  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  demonic  sounding  growls  can  be  heard  at  times.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  tremolo  picking  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  British  style.  When  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  as  well  as  some  nature  sounds  also  being  used  briefly. 

The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  clean  vocals,  when  percussion  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  feeling.   All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  dark  folklore  of  Britain.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Old  Corpse  Road  and  if  you  are a fan  of  folk  orientated  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  “Harbingers  Of  Death(Voices  In  The  Tempest)”  “As  Waves  Devour  Their  Carcasses”  and  “The  Ghosts  Of  The  Ruinous  Dunstanbrgh  Catle”.  8/5  out  of  10.

OLD CORPSE ROAD have carved their name into the UK black metal scene by  producing classic, yet unique British black metal based on the dark  folklore of Britain. The Darlington based 5-piece formed in 2007 and take their name from a coffin road in the Lake District.

“On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore” kicks us off nicely, the progressive start is decent, medium-paced, but potential to increase. The melodies blend in together allowing a few changes in harmony to appear, it is executed perfectly. A Blackened Thrash riff takes over midway into the song allowing the progression to get the song into the next stage. Good start to the album.

“Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest)” carries on the overall feel, but with added aggression and tempo, which is a great addition. The vocals are a mix of spoken word which tells a story in itself and the coarse vocals, of that there are several voices, a few different high and low pitches, together it goes perfectly. The progressive Folk melodies in the song go well in the end to slow things down, but in doing so, they harmonize the song and bring out some amazing technical skills on display, a strong finish.

“Black Ship” is a log song, so be prepared for a lengthy intro to the song, coz its not far off 2-minutes before the shattering screams kick the tempo up a notch and really allow all elements to come to table. The vocals remain coarse and hard to follow, but the melodies are easy to follow and easy to enjoy. Things do slow down again, but as it is well-balanced the tempo is not an issue, its composed and runs well. The last few moments are basically an instrumental, but the beauty of the melodies is amazing, the song could have been like this all through and I would have loved it still. The last instrumental section has a few more Folk ideas with added tones from the keyboards adding to the atmosphere.

“Sea Fire” is another slow to start, again its progressive, but as such with longer songs it is not a shock. This one takes little time to introduce the vocals however, and these are more of the soft spoken vocals with a cackling coarse option in the background which does solo itself soon after. The overall tempo does increase and there is a frenzied section where shit hits the fan, in a good way and it is awesome. The Folk style returns in come chanting which breaks the song down once more. Midway through it gets all experimental again, not sure how to describe it, its funky, I’ll state that.

“As Waves Devour Their Carcasses”, I thought for a bit this was just a calming keyboard instrumental, the first 2-minutes are, then its joined by a creeping spoken word vocalist who seems to be more like telling a story. It’s a peaceful number, without having to do much.

“Demons of the Farne” continues the same approach for a brief moment, before it all kicks off with the tempo flying up the scale as the vocalists scream out. The song tries to seemingly break itself down with odd outbursts of styles before quickly changing into the tried and test approach that is pace and aggression. The tempo does stop and pick up a few times in the song, but it never feels tired, it feels well used. The repeating, progressing melodies work really well to build the harmony and make the song remain fresh at all times

“The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle” is more eerie keyboard play to start us off, this is met by the solid riff coming through. You look at the length and know it will change so many times over. The vocals are spoken but go into to piercing screams to add tension to the song and to the melodies. The feel is very 70’s / 80’s cheesy horror flick and it really works for that, a bit of lack of progression, but the balance remains within itself really well. It feels like a story and they do so well to make this portrayed within a song, its not easy to pull off, this is a journey.

“WaterLore”, the final to this story of an album. Its another peaceful keyboard piece to open. It is a great end as an instrumental, taking all the great keyboard sections we have heard and making it into a beautiful melody to end the album.

This is a solid album, it is full of swings and twists to create some amazing melodies. Its dark with some plot twists in the story, enjoy the journey.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8

So far completely unknown to me, OLD CORPSE ROAD hit a nerve with me with their current album “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore”. No, not an uncomfortable nerve that the dentist sometimes encounters during root canal treatment, but a “positive” nerve that triggers an eye-opening experience and causes the writer of these lines to keep saying “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore” allow.

Musically, the band is committed to Black Metal, which sounds a bit symphonic here and there and is strongly reminiscent of the beginnings of their compatriots of CRADLE OF FILTH in terms of song structure and song structure. Vocalists also try to orientate themselves to Dani Filth without attaining its quality, but also not copying it cheaply. The strength of OLD CORPSE ROAD lies in expanding their Black Metal with folky passages and powerful melody arches, which underlines the textual concept of dark English seafaring stories. So you get a song-useful variety and a great variety through several variations of their tempo.

So if you are into varied Black Metal and don’t shy away from slightly symphonic passages, have no problem with overlong songs and then can do something with early CRADLE stuff, you should definitely try “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore”, because that could be something for you.

Four years after an album that had thrilled me, OLD CORPSE ROAD is finally back with its third mischief. And as expected, he changed his label. Let us remember that it was at Cacophonous Records, mythical stable returned from the depths of the abyss, that it was released. A return that will not have been very long since after a few albums he disappeared from radars again. He therefore introduced us to some promising training courses, among which I especially remember NECRONAUTICAL and OLD CORPSE ROAD. And if it is now Candlelight Records that takes care of the first, it is at the slightly less flamboyant but still well known Trollzorn Records that we find the second. A collaboration that surprises me a little because the German label specializes in Viking, in Folk, in the pagan and that this English formation does not really rank under one of these labels …

But ultimately, which label would suit OLD CORPSE ROAD? Hard to say because he likes to make big splits. Whoever will listen to it for the first time will remember one thing above all, it is the black metal sympho ultra rib inspired by CRADLE OF FILTH. But to such an extent that we cannot think of anything else! The way of shouting, or rather THE ways of shouting, are identical. The deep voice playing with a more nasal touch … “Is that Dani Filth? Will wonder legitimately the lost listener. No, no, it’s not Dani, it’s his vocal double! And the music is also inspired at times very much by that of his illustrious big brother. But if this is what jumps out in the ears of the discoverer, it is absolutely not the only facet of these compositions. If when the imitation of CRADLE OF FILTH is engaged it is total, the 8 tracks of this album of 65 minutes also offer many passages which are completely unimaginable in the other English! We will find, for example, medieval atmospheres that have never been explored at CRADLE. We will also have long instrumental passages with “natural” atmospheres that have no place at CRADLE: gulls cries, acoustics, waves …

And so, when OLD CORPSE ROAD moves away from its first model, it is to get a little closer to A FOREST OF STARS. It is mixed very naturally and finally with great efficiency. We let ourselves be carried away by the result but it is certain that it is on condition that we have a little interest in black metal “class”, the English black metal of gentlemen. It’s really well organized, well set up, well laid out … Then there’s no denying that a spark is missing. There is something that prevents you from climbing a higher level. Difficult to put your finger on what it is, and it may just be an aura, a charm, a little extra that would be decisive. Too bad, but I am very satisfied with this album, and above all I am again very enthusiastic about the style practiced, which is terribly disparaged but which nevertheless knows how to touch another part of our soul.

t is as if Cradle Of Filth, Bal-Sagoth and A Forest Of Stars had met in the same studio.

Band that is heading towards a cult status, at least in the midst of English black metal, Old Corpse Road arrives on the third album with “On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore”, another work fertile by the legends and myths of ancient times .

With a maritime concept – the cover leaves no room for doubt – the Darlington collective developed eight new tracks from shipwrecks and carcasses of cursed souls that give the coast of an island that is both green and wounded by rocks. Therefore, throughout the lyrics, stories of ghostly and demonic appearances are expected.

Sinister from beginning to end, and although the group has its own signature sound, this record drinks a lot – but a lot! – from unavoidable names like Cradle Of Filth, from the fast, sharp and melodic guitars (there are incredible leads and well-drawn solos) to a vocal diversity that varies from squeak to guttural, being something shamelessly inspired by Dani Filth. In addition to the amazing work of the guitars, Old Corpse Roads are also adept at creating compositions with structures that create narratives – of course, if the aim was to remember and echo the fateful power of myths and legends, then there would be no other option than to manufacture themes with heads, torso and limbs. In addition, the keyboards, much in that Victorian wave of the 19th century, convey a terrifying elegance that is very well based on this record.

The less positive side of this interesting album is in some more frantic segments. That is to say, the layers overlap so much and the frenzy is so intense that it originates a cacophony that is not very seductive and very confused. Fortunately, the negative points do not obscure the magnitude of this resounding undertaking. It is as if Cradle Of Filth, Bal-Sagoth and A Forest Of Stars had met in the same studio.

The UK black metal scene is in a very healthy state these days but one band who have been a bit quiet of late have been Old Corpse Road. Hailing from Yorkshire the band have always injected tales of dark folklore into their music as well as a gothic sensibility and on their third album On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore they have delved into tales from the dark and freezing oceans with songs based around coastal and maritime folklore.

On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore is a hefty album but it has a very expansive sound with a primarily atmospheric black metal sound which is rich with symphonic elements and gothic undertones. The title track kicks things off which is a bit of a slow burner full of atmosphere and build up before things explode in Harbingers Of Death (Voices In The Tempest) which is a ferocious black metal assault with layers of keyboards and sublime melodies. Melody is a key feature throughout the album (which always sits well with this reviewer) and is taken further in Black Ship which opens with a folk driven acoustic melody which leads into a some theatrics heavy melodic black metal which certainly has nods to the early Cradle Of Filth material and has a great inclusion of clean vocals. Other highlights on the album include Sea Fire with its haunting atmosphere, the ferocity of Demons Of The Farne and the monstrous 16 minute epic of The Ghosts Of The Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle.

Darlington’s OLD CORPSE ROAD are one of the most impressive, and certainly one of the most intriguing, black metal acts in the UK. Taking a classic symphonic black metal sound and peppering it with a powerful, folky undercurrent, this band have managed to craft several brilliant records, including three full lengths, that provide a great, distinctly British twist on an established style and carving out their own niche within the genre. Their latest record, On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore, sees the band produce yet another magnificent slab of symphonic black metal, and proves to be arguably the band’s best output to date.

The opening, titular track, is a great, melody driven instrumental piece of great black metal with lots of hooks courtesy of the guitars and keyboards, setting the listener up for the rest of the record quite well. Harbingers of Death (Voices in the Tempest) utilises much denser guitars and varied vocals, ranging from shrill howls to sonorous spoken word, creating a dark, engrossing track with a brilliant symphonic black metal sound that not many bands attempt, let alone perfect. Black Ship, a lengthier, slow burning affair, brings in a few subtle, well placed folk elements, particular in the guitar playing, and sees OLD CORPSE ROAD begin to shift between tones and inject a huge, cinematic edge to the song, making it all the more engrossing. As the song kicks into full gear, it proves to be extremely expansive, creating a powerful and eclectic track overall. This song also sees the keyboards take a central role in the sound, creeping further up in the mix as the song reaches its climax, providing some haunting moments of its own.

Sea Fire, with its acoustic and keyboard driven sound, proves to be a steady, bleaker number, with a few acerbic moments thrown into the mix, with slick, mesmerising guitars, visceral vocal passages and grandiose keyboards all adding plenty of depth to this particular tracks sound. As Waves Devour Their Carcasses, a shorter, punchier track, by this albums standards, is fantastic, with sublime, dramatic moments, due mainly to dominant keyboard motifs and caustic, contrasting vocals which add a small, but sharp, bit of darkness in amongst the more angelic nature of the music. It’s a great track that stands out from the rest of the music for all the right reasons. Demons of the Farne sees the gothic side of OLD CORPSE ROAD‘s sound take centre stage, quickly establishing itself as the best song on the album with some great, vicious riffs, monstrous drums and acidic, rasping vocals adding an aggressive bent to the song, all shrouded in a thick and beguiling atmosphere. It’s a brilliantly bombastic affair that sticks in the listeners mind immediately.

The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle, the album’s monolithic climactic track, makes full use of its 16 plus minute span, peppering this song with a plethora of great moments. It brings together many of the more effective aspects in the bands sound, from tight, soaring guitars, to great folk sections, with powerful keyboards and some intricate, precise drumming interwoven into the music, making for an enthralling masterclass in how to write captivating black metal. WaterLore differs in terms of sound from the rest of the album, with lighter, less distorted guitars and softer vocals giving this song a glorious, almost post rock feel that doesn’t appear earlier on the album. It’s a great track that brings the album to a close in a good, and interesting, way.

There’s very little in way of filler to find fault with on this record. If you appreciate the likes of HECATE ENTHRONED and early CRADLE OF FILTH, then there’s a lot to love about this record; however, this is far from the emulation of a tried and tested formula, with the band throwing in plenty of excellent, melodic guitar work and folk elements, which gives this album its own flavour, with even the production capturing the murky and atmospheric sound that makes this style of music sound so great when properly utilised. This is yet another instant classic from a band that have a notable reputation for producing fantastic records, marking one of their more creative high points to date.

Rating: 9/10

March in for the weekend on Old Corpse Road. The British have been making a combination of folk and black metal for years, in which pieces can be found that can be used in a film or series. The five members of the band can all be heard in the vocals. They not only sing, but also scream, whisper and grunt. Naturally, these Britons sing about their own mythologies and legends. Their new work is called On ghastly shores lays the wreckage of our lore and is released today. It is their third full-length for Old Corpse Road and consists of eight songs. The album is on the long side 1 hour and 4 minutes so take your time and let yourself be carried away in their legends and adventures.

The first feeling that creeps up is that you really go back in time. It sounds great and your sketch already contains images that would fit in your head. The adventure takes place mainly around the coasts of the United Kingdom. In the second song, the black metal vocals rise well. The song creates a feeling of a bloody disaster. In the song you will hear different singing voices that all evoke a different atmosphere. One moment you feel that you survive the journey, but the next you almost see death. After two hard songs it is literally calm before the storm. The song is called “Black Ship”. You will hear militaristic drums that cause a high tension level followed by thunder.You could compare the atmosphere that is generated after this piece with the most exciting part of the rollercoaster the flying Dutchman, which of course also fits into this theme. The different vocals provide a powerful whole and also a lot of tension.

Gulls, with the sound of gulls and overturning waves, we arrive at part 2 of On ghastly shores lays the wreckage of our lore. It soon becomes clear that they are stranded and that there are deaths. It has a nasty ulcer and is difficult to digest. The song could have been in a series or movie. Demons of the Farne comes out quite chaotic. The transitions sometimes go a bit too chaotic, which causes unrest. Fortunately, there is a bit more peace in the song and you no longer have the feeling that you are on a ship where everything that is loose and loose comes loose and falls around / on you. The second-to-last song is a 15-minute song and is called “The Ghosts Of The Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle”. The nice thing is when you google the last two tracks there is a lot of information about these places and their legends. The song really gives a hellish feeling, as if you actually entered the castle when it was still intact.With “Waterlore” the hellish adventure comes to an end. The intro creates a feeling of peace and tranquility.

On ghastly shores lays the wreckage of our loreis certainly an interesting album. There is a lot to be heard, but just a little too much on some points. Sometimes there is so much to hear that it is just a bit too chaotic. The transitions are sometimes just too chaotic, which can make it look sloppy. The atmosphere you end up in is really like being on a ship that has a very difficult journey and is perishing. You almost feel the wind blowing, you almost see the seagulls flying and you almost feel the water. With this feeling you will be dragged into the hellish adventure. The different vocals are very precisely timed and perfectly match the atmosphere. There are whispers, talk and moments when they all sing in unison. The basis is of course black metal and you can hear that in every song, also in the vocals. You will hear a keyboard in every song, this creates even more atmosphere.The record is certainly on the long side but that certainly does not spoil the atmosphere. My tip is overOn ghastly shores lays the wreckage of our lore equipped to listen. The album is a good bite to digest and try not to get seasick from this adventure!

The name of the band is quite intriguing (and damn, I really like the name, it is just so inspiring). Mystic in a way, so to speak. And so is the music performed by this band from the United Kingdom. The base of the music is old school type of Black Meal, that reminds of early CRADLE OF FILTH especially in the vocal section (which some might find to be an acquired taste as Dani-esque screams all the time might be too much for some), and also many atmospheric passages and with a heavy use of keyboards, while the guitars are guiding the music. They are not up-front, creating the aura the artist wants to create. Maybe for my taste more up-front guitars would not be that bad, but I must add it works quite well, for this band that was formed back in 2007 and this is actually their third full length. Also the band is a bit on the epic side of things. The shortest song is over 5 minutes, so they have a lot of creativity going on most of the times. And do I hear a bit of SABBAT (UK)? I am pretty sure… but there is also a lot of Heavy Metal influences, some Doom Metal touches in the fine English tradition too, and of course more than one reference to the master Quorthon and his beastly creations. There is also some reference to EMPEROR as well, so Black Metal fans with a touch of symphonic essence take notice. The lyrical aspect of the band is far away from your everyday we hail the goat thing. It is more about old tales and mysteries of their lands, and that is also quite interesting. Some bits of their music have a NOCTURNUS style delivery, and that only could be a good thing. This is the kind of music that deserves more than one listening as I came up every time with something new. More than once this was something that got me in a deja-vu of the 90s but in a very good way. Nowadays, with some bands that us old Metalheads used to follow, like DIMMU BORGIR or CRADLE OF FILTH, we feel that they have way too much adrifted from their great early masterpieces, this is for sure something that can fill that emptiness into this age. 

The third work of the British Old Corpse Road is a multifaceted, iridescent album, difficult to frame in one precise genre.
This thing, depending on your point of view, can be good or bad.
Inspired by Anglo-Saxon folklore, “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore” touches purely black metal shores, “ventures” into recited scores with a symphonic flavor, has an undoubtedly pagan soul and obviously exploits a strong dose of folk for create a very “English” atmosphere, elegant, pompous but also dramatic when it underlines certain passages.

Certainly the Darlington group does not limit itself to following simple paths but it works hard to personalize its proposal: while listening to the album, in fact, you will notice many different influences, both extreme and more classic, and you will be surprised by the continuous changes of register and tone in which the music stumbles even if, in the directing phase, there is always the presence of a careful hand that prevents “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore” from dispersing into too many arzigogoli without being able to grasp a specific point.
Old Corpse Road, on the other hand, even if they try their hand at songs well over ten minutes, are never tedious and always maintain a rather extreme approach which, in my opinion, benefits the final result, even if, too often, it seems to listen the epic Cradle of Filth without bats fluttering around, but, net of this “flaw”, the songwriting skills are evident as well as those of the arrangement, and the passion clearly results in what the musicians do, what, this , which hardly leads to mediocre results.

Between graceful pianos, epic doom melodies, warlike tones, black accelerations, symphonic strings, growl and shrill scream, the album accompanies us for over an hour among the dark and fruitful myths of the land of Albione giving us the feeling that the Old Corpse Road are modern storytellers dealing with disgusting tales of horrible apparitions, demonic creatures and murderous confessions that “enrich” their green and beloved land.
Do you want to listen to them?

Deeply British Black Metal.

For some years now – especially in traditional metal – many good bands have been coming from Great Britain again. OLD CORPSE ROAD, among others, could confirm that this may also apply to the blacker areas. A formation that has been active since 2007 and has since released two studio albums. So now “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore”. The title already suggests: It will be horribly romantic! Even if the name of this band is avoided in the promo text (consciously?), The name CRADLE OF FILTH must be used, the parallels are too obvious. Especially with “Dusk And Her Embrace”, the second album of the Dani Filth gang, there are great similarities, both in terms of music and lyrics. And in both cases this should be understood as a clear compliment.The various chants, whether screeching, growing or reciting, are very much oriented towards Mr Filth.

But it is by no means a clumsy copy, so the classic symphonic Black Metal is always supplemented by folkloric enhancements, which mostly works really well, only the second half of the otherwise famous ‘Black Ship’ looks a bit bumpy and reminds a little to a black version of IN EXTREMO. Otherwise, the clean vocals, for example on ‘Sea Fire’, are a nice addition and we all know how often something else drifts into embarrassment. Also worth mentioning is the over 16-minute piece ‘The Ghosts of the Ruinous Dunstanburgh Castle’, which actually manages to keep the listener entertained throughout the entire season. You have to get there first, something like that. The sound is typical of the genre, slightly washed out, with roasting,heavily distorted guitars but relatively far away from the early Scandinavian sound. The keyboard sounds are sometimes less prominent, but never too much in the foreground, so that the raw overall sound is not watered down.

The 66 minutes of play are not just frenzy, there is a good quarter of an hour of intro, outro and interludes, which is always interesting and works well in the context of the album, which of course also lives from its generated atmosphere. This creates the impression that you get, for example in a tavern by the sea, various creepy sailor’s yarn told about a dodgy old sailor.

Back to the music: In addition to the keyboard sounds, there are also heaps of melodies carried by hypnotic lead guitars. Add to that the well-known CRADLE OF FILTH – and some people find it annoying – extreme dynamics. Within a few steps from loud to quiet, from fast to worn, from waltz to blast beat. Those who like something like me will have a lot of fun with “On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore”. Of course, this also applies to people who would have preferred “Dusk And Her Embrace II” instead of “Cruelty And The Beast” (also applies to me).

So we are dealing with a really strong album that is deeply rooted in the tradition of British black metal, but still adds enough innovative accents to be considered independent. I like it!