When you see a one-man band and black metal together, you usually keep such a small basket that it basically becomes a coin pocket. It’s quite common to see so many projects sounding like crap in every way, because the “vision” of a musician who wants to do it all himself ends up being directed at himself and no one else. Thankfully though, Blackbraid are a big exception. To have already done a tour with Dark Funeral and an appearance at this year’s Hellfest without having a label supporting, they are doing something very well.
They started just last year and without wasting any time they released “Blackbraid I”, with this year’s follow-up being even better. Behind the band is Jon Krieger on guitars, bass and vocals under the moniker Sgah’gahsowáh which in the Mohawk tribal language means “the witch hawk”. I assume that’s where he’s from, since he cites the Adirondack Mountains as his home base and Blackbraid’s lyrics have to do with Native Americans, their mythology and nature among other things.
In the musical part now, we are dealing with atmospheric black metal. The duration of the album exceeds one hour, almost twice as long as the debut, but it is so well structured that there was no point where I got tired. Basically we are talking about seven songs, six of their own and a cover of Bathory’s “A Fine Day To Die”, since there are also three short acoustic tracks that serve perfectly as introductions or intermissions.
The speeds alternate between very fast and mid-tempo points, with the result being equally good in both cases since a lot of attention has been paid to the proper building of the compositions. A big plus is also the atmosphere of the album, which fits ideally with the lyrical content and puts out a pagan aura. The wonderful guitar melodies, some acoustic breaks as well as some very well-placed flutes contribute to this. I would say that in parts they reminded me of the supreme Agalloch, which I think is a great merit for a band in this sound.
Also, a very positive element is the production of Neil Schneider, who (as in the first album) handled the recording, mixing, mastering and played the drums. Contrary to the stupid mentality that many black (and death) metallers have and make their albums sound like they were recorded on a child’s tape recorder, “Blackbraid II” stands out by having a modern but not polished sound. In conclusion, this is a very good and well-thought-out release that fans of this genre should not pass by.
