Review Summary: Rævult!
After having a fantastic start to the year with his contributions to the exceptional Christmas-themed
Winternight Fairytales split, Russian dungeon synth artist Rævjäger has returned with a most worthy follow up. This latest full-length
Rævult! imparts the tale of a great conflict within the fictitious Realm of the Templar. Leading with a bombastic opener in ‘The Crudade’, this album’s sound follows on from Rævjäger's previous work, delivering smoothly produced synthesised epics packed with smouldering harmonies and lilting melodies.
As an enjoyable romp through some incredibly satisfying songwriting, ‘The Crusade’ marks a promising beginning to the album, weaving an atmosphere of pure fantasy while warmly introducing the journey to follow. As its subject matter would suggest, it's not all fun and games on this outing, and indeed the mood shifts regularly throughout
Rævult!. Its storyline traces the journey of a trickster character who shares the artist’s name, following as he navigates a world split by two warring factions, each attempting to establish their own power. As with most albums of this nature there is a heavy amount of imagination and participation required by the listener to supplement the existing lore, so naturally every experience will differ. Nevertheless, the darkness supplied by tracks such as ‘Troops of Faith United’ and ‘Bells of Sacrifice’ offer contrast to the album’s lighter moments, cementing the rising tension of a formerly peaceful nation beginning to feel the effects of turmoil.
Elsewhere, ‘Rise of Inquisition’ features a marching rhythm, and along with ‘They Shall Kneel To My Throne’, adds the unmistakable drive of percussion into the mix with the militaristic hiss of something snare-like and the booming tone of war drums. Most interesting, perhaps, is the vaguely East Asian-sounding melodies in ‘The Bard, the Jester & the Knight’ performed on a very “pluck-y” and unsustained synth instrument that recalls the coldness of ancient Chinese mountain ranges. Though Rævjäger’s style certainly leans more towards the cinematic and ethereal side of the scale than the lo-fi roots of this sub-genre, ‘Quest for Divinity’ and the aforementioned ‘Rise…’ strike closest to being “traditionally” dungeon-y, whereas full-fledged compositions like the titular closing track feel grandiose and larger than life in scale, with the potential to smoothly compliment some equally ambitious visualisations. But the real majesty of
Rævult! lies in its replay value, and although the album’s hero valiantly unites opposing antagonists in a world built through sounds, the listener’s adventure never truly ends.
