Chuck Schuldiner Project

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Valland-S/T


And so we have yet another Gaulois metal record, the album in question being Vallands glorious self titled debut record. A nine track epic there is a lot to love about an album that fuses death and black metal with influences of folk, definitely not something you get to hear every day. Toss in some stellar French lyrics that seek to respect the bands glorious and battle filled heritage and you're on track to have a record that is not only unique but also a lot of fun to listen to, a veritable prothalmion to the glory of the battles and wars of yesteryear.

There are a couple of aspects that really make this record special for me. The first is the french lyrics, this gives a certain earthy tone to the music and as I've said in previous posts, French really is a great language for extreme music. Another thing I really dig is the variety of folk instruments used, they add flavor and old school magic to the sound. Last is the style of riffing, while often very much blackened death metal the band is not afraid to go with some more bombastic sounds that give their album a certain gravitas, a sort of folky Gaulois magic that very few bands can at all emulate. Together these ideas help to make Valland into a great record.


In conclusion, if you're looking for a very tight folk metal record that is not shy in showcasing its pagan elements then this is the album from you. From a band who seem ready to take the world by storm and overcome all poserdom with their incredible power and destructive growls, this is not a band to be taken lightly or ignored, instead you should weight each riff and search within it for the powerful truths that Valland communicate in their colossal sound. For those of you looking to fight with the French on an epic battlefield in the eternal war against Roman invaders Valland should be a very appealing record.

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