Review Summary: Compendium of romantic black metal.
With the arrival of Këkht Aräkh, "romantic black metal" reached a wider audience, distinguished by its unique style. Within this style, a complete creative circle can be identified: the Ukrainian romantic black metal scene, featuring projects such as the aforementioned Këkht Aräkh, Felvum, Mrtva Vod, Kristaliis, and - importantly for this album -Selvnatt and Draugveil. The style is defined by its raw black metal foundation, enriched with punk (or occasionally post-punk) and gothic elements (song structure, clean vocals, keyboards, etc.). Following the success of Këkht Aräkh, the duo of Selvnatt and Draugveil is making impressive strides, delivering one of this year’s positive surprises with their collaborative album.
In my view,
Blades & Roses serves as a "style compendium" of romantic black metal, encapsulating every musical and aesthetic element associated with it. The album’s title itself reflects this intent, referencing the genre’s most iconic symbols (specifically, sword and rose - see the cover of Këkht Aräkh’s
Pale Swordsman). This intention is palpable throughout the music. The opening track, “Shards”, immediately showcases the genre’s typical repertoire: raw, simple black metal riffs; punk-inspired drumming; elegant piano melodies; occasional clean interludes; and raspy vocals - and essentially, the same formula is carried through the album with minimal variation. It’s also worth highlighting the inclusion of several balladic, occasionally clean-vocal-led intermezzos (e.g., “Vestige”, “Wilted Bloom”, “Lake of Tears”, and the closing “Afterlife”), which, in my opinion, was a smart move, at least in terms of making the album’s structure more engaging. Pinpointing a single standout track is difficult, as the sequence of songs maintains a consistent atmosphere throughout (and that’s a commendable achievement). But if I must, I would direct listeners’ attention to “Sacre Cœur”.
Blades & Roses is particularly intriguing because it is not a split release; both artists collaborated fully in its creation. As a result, there is no distinction to be made between the contributions of Selvnatt and Draugveil in this case. And honestly, this works well, as the album is great within its own style. While it may not reach the heights of the legendary
Pale Swordsman - it is still an excellent black metal release.
