From a country not known for its metal scene like Moldova, comes the debut of Qualen, Denis Balan’s solo project, which offers with Patterns Of Light a good test of melodic death doom. The Chisinau musician shows a remarkable familiarity with the genre, managing to maintain a constant balance between the various components of the sound during three quarters of an hour characterized by a strong intensity and smoothness. Being in the presence of an area in which much has already been said, the task of those who try is to do it well, and Denis succeeds with good ease, moving in the wake of the various In Mourning and Insomnium, to which is added a decisive component Paradise Lost in the most slow and evocative passages. If Patterns Of Light is not, for a series of obvious reasons, an album destined to leave an indelible mark, one can’t help but appreciate the incisiveness of all the tracks (with an honourable mention for Eclipse), which are direct, well produced and equally well performed, despite the one man band configuration. Denis Balan is able to escape from the dozens of DIY releases, and the fact that he was noticed by the long eye of Eugene of Loneravn Records (Ukrainian label that is specializing in bringing to light realities coming from the underground in its purest sense) is an intrinsic sign of the value and potential of this new Qualen.
2018 – Loneravn Records
Mournful Sounds 
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