As they set foot firmly within their second decade in action Dallas, Texas-based atmospheric/melodic black metal quartet KRIGSGRAV arrive with a best-yet secured sense of self on this dramatically wound and meticulously crafted eighth full-length album. Though their discography presents a demanding sojourn on paper all that leads up to ‘Stormcaller‘ reinforces it as a peaking, triumphal ride and certainly more than the usual glom afforded this particular shade of USBM. This successfully melodious and at times ‘epic’ set of songs depict the band entirely in their own element and even if the result isn’t exactly to my own taste there’ll be no denying the persistence of their efforts paying off within.

Krigsgrav formed by way of David Sikoria (aka Vortigern at the time) back in 2004 with clear inspiration taken from Scandinavian black metal for their first several recordings as a duo (incl. original vocalist Blutjäger) wherein the culmination of those ideas was a modest debut LP (‘The Leviathan Crown‘, 2010). The band would return a year later entirely changed with ‘Lux Capta Est‘ (2011) a record which pull from the then deep well of tropes found in popular/influential atmoblack groups Agalloch and Drudkh. From that point the band drew enough attention to warrant live performances and expanded to a quartet eventually manifesting an admixture of post-black, atmospheric black metal and dark metal on the next few releases where nods to Wolves in the Throne Room and the earlier gothic/melodic doom of Katatonia were exemplified on their fifth LP (‘Leave no Path to Follow‘, 2018). While these were increasingly competent and evocative releases it all appeared too closely linked to those points of suggested inspiration.

From my point of view a lot of those releases were “USBM fodder” as I’d torn through Krigsgrav‘s discography for a short review of album number six (‘The Sundering‘, 2021) suggesting it’d be fair to see their work as an example of USBM’s oft overtly imitative fetishization of European counterpart, or, as I’d put it at the time: “They surely read as a band driven by what is popular at the moment as their discography progresses but ‘The Sundering’ doesn’t, instead yielding a well-polished record influenced by melodic metal […] if not somewhat forgettable in the greater continuum of this style.” and that is to say that some inspiration taken from melodic black/death metal had created something more connective (or, direct) than before. This all felt a bit less like trend-hopping when glommed together into one folken, atmospheric and somewhat melodic directive on ‘Fires in the Fall‘ (2023) where I’d commented: “shades of gloomier classics from Agalloch and Woods of Ypres are still held within the more introspective nature of Krigsgrav in a spiritual sense but this is perhaps a bit more of an open-armed, fortitudinous statement“. Today in preface for this new album another run through their discography suggests the band’d been exploring the possibilities for personalized, emotionally driven dramatism through various venue for their first decade plus but eventually sought their ouevre in meld beyond anno MMXX and to much more substantive result thus far.

‘Stormcaller‘ lines up squarely with that goal in that it appears written to bring cohesion to the band’s lesser-known but prolific discography and should naturally read as another rung in Krigsgrav‘s ladder beyond the last three releases in direct continuation. As we step into the listening experience this is a rare case where right off the bat I have a gripe gnawing at each ear per the frequent use of clashing dual vocal performances in unison, one of the least appealing tropes of melodic extreme metal from my point of view, though “Huntress of the Fire Moon” does notably feature the brilliant Jens Rydén (Thyrfing, ex-Naglfar) as a guest spot. The song otherwise carries in the harmonized lead guitars in stride found on the band’s two prior LPs, shaping the piece into a somewhat chaotically stated yet bounding melodic black/death metal introduction. Though I was not sold or all that interested in this album in preview based on this song the next few which follow held my attention.

The title track (“Stormcaller”) is far more promising as an opening statement and a fine enough example of melodic black metal driven by tremolo picked riffs and sharp interplay between dual rhythm guitar voicing. The leads which hit in the first couple of minutes take things to more of a melodeath place for a moment but as the song burns on its steadfast battery and largely consonant main riff resembles some of the most key ideals found in late 90’s melodic black/death hindsight. Another key single “Twilight Fell” brings some of the cinema of folken atmospheric black/dark metal right afterward and this arrangement generally showcases increasing intricacy and sensical flow to Krigsgrav‘s guitar work, probably the clearest point of upgrade beyond ‘Fires in the Fall‘ from my point of view. I wouldn’t say the first few songs here are shockingly different or contain any wild breakthroughs up front but the refinement available to the band’s work speaks to entertaining movement and modestly memorable melodic ideas chiming in.

The three songs which follow are probably the prime heat of the full listen here as “None Shall Remember Your Name” introduces a somewhat more ‘epic’ tonality to their work though “Bay of Barghest” probably makes the best use of this with its slow-trampled, swinging movement and clean vocal/acoustic guitar tipped pooling refrains. Otherwise for my own taste the undeniable best piece on the full listen (beyond the title track) is “The Tonic of Wilderness” another melodic black metal piece prone to shredding leads which centers its gait around a mid-pace intermittently interrupted by faster upward-swinging melodic death riffs and an ethereal, clean sung dramatism introduced in its final third. From that point I’d felt ‘Stormcaller‘ had made its most important points of impact and the final two pieces drag on a bit with their blustering victory lap, though I will say closer “Womb-Death-Dawn” is fittingly grand for an eight minute finale.

The full listen of ‘Stormcaller‘ should naturally read a bit all over the place when accounting for post-millennial melodic extreme metal tropes being woven together tightly enough to gird two decades worth of development. That said this suits the path taken up to this point without tracing Krigsgrav‘s interests in a too-literal way, speaking to the myriad inspiration taken from Scandinavian and North American extreme metal fonts with an ‘epic’ flair given to the full listen. Though the bones of the experience should be familiar to fans of their past work the boon offered by this record within their continuum is a more sensically arranged, tonally contiguous experience and I’d say feasibly one of their best efforts to date. A moderately high recommendation.

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