Short debut ep for Old Graves, yet another solo project dedicated to atmospheric black metal. Colby Hink is Canadian and, all in all, in his music converge in a sensitive way the emotions and the sense of dismay that the beautiful scenery offered by his country can induce, in anyone who is aware of its infinitesimal substance compared to the majesty of nature. If the sound carries with it a soft but icy breeze, on the other hand it also possesses a wider breath that leads the mind into endless spaces where man is (not always appreciated) a guest. The work is very short but it shows Colby’s innate predisposition to produce melancholy and evocative atmospheres, even in their simple structure. In particular, Hang My Remains From The Crescent Moon shines, kissed by a really beautiful melodic line, but Dawn Treader and the title track are not less than, going to make up a picture of emotional impact not always found on similar occasions. The scream is in the norm but has the merit of not being annoying, even if in the production phase it has been buried by the other instruments, especially when they all move in unison in building an enveloping wall of sound. The North American musician shows good taste and talent even in the acoustic and more reflective parts, in which the ambient component is always enslaved to a logical and linear melodic construction, which includes the presence of guitar solos of good value. This Ruin Beneath Snowfall is one of the best things I’ve heard this year in the atmospheric black field: usually with ep’s I tend not to go overboard with the evaluations but, in this case, I feel like betting without any hesitation on a compositional quality that can’t be neither casual nor transitory.

2015 – Naturmacht Productions