Graveland

These days, there is some truly quality black metal coming out of Poland. Mgła, Cultes des Ghoules, Kriegsmaschine, Furia, Massemord, Medico Peste, and a slew of other bands push forward the boundaries of black metal, all while staying true to the genre's roots. Before all of these bands, however, the mighty GRAVELAND, from the city of Wroclaw, was one of the chief standard-bearers of Polish black metal.

As a band, Graveland has mostly been about achieving the musical vision of founder and main songwriter Rob Darken. Darken is an extremely controversial figure in black metal history, on par with Varg Vikernes for sheer notoriety. He arose from the far-right wing of the Polish black metal scene, with views that could be characterized as National Socialist (Nazi). In a series of highly incendiary interviews throughout the early and mid-1990s, Darken espoused his views to anyone who would listen. Needless to say, time has tempered his views. Some say this is because Darken has recognized that Graveland's fanbase comes from all over the globe--and includes many non-Polish, non-European, non-white fans. Some say that he has merely mellowed with age. And some say he believes the same things, but is not vocal about it for fear of commercial backlash (this seems the least likely to me, as black metal doesn't usually take commerical interests into consideration). What can be said for certain is that Darken does currently hold pagan-inspired ethno-nationalist beliefs. He may or may not still be a National Socialist, but he still trucks with the extreme far-right. All of this being said, Graveland's music has always reflected Darken's obsession with his European pagan heritage and love of an idealized past.

Darken initially formed Graveland as a solo project in 1991, heavily inspired by Bathory and the emerging Norwegian scene. Demos such as Necromanteion and Drunemeton (both released in 1992) showcase a raw, unpolished style that Graveland was known for in their early years. The early Graveland sound is an odd, eerie death/black metal with an old-school vibe, replete with an almost industrial feel to it because of the production values and the incorporation of keyboards and evil sound samples.

"The Celts Ride Over Graveland" is a well-known demo song from 1992's Necromanteion

After these early demos in 1992, Darken recruited others to help him realize his musical vision. Karcharoth (of Infernum fame) and Capricornus were key musicians in the shaping of Graveland's sound after the band transitioned away from their initial raw sound. Some of the stronger demos from these years--like 1993's In the Glare of the Burning Churches and 1994's Celtic Winter--are absolute classics of early 1990s Polish black metal, and have influenced countless bands from all over the world. In terms of style, I think 1993's Glare is a demo that easily holds its own with many full-length albums of the early second wave.

From In the Glare of the Burning Churches, this is "Night of the Fullmoon"

With a full roster, Graveland set about recording what would be their first album, Carpathian Wolves. This album was a continuation of the sound of the Glare and Winter demos. On this album, we also see Graveland began to craft long, epic, almost progressively-structured black metal songs---something that would become their trademark on future albums. Another aspect of Graveland's sound that was present on this album was the use of thematically-relevant samples that helped to create the eerie, occultic black metal atmosphere. Note the intro sample of wolves howling below as it segues into the song "In the Northern Carpathians":

Carpathian Wolves really caught the attention of the black metal world as a whole. Graveland were then able to sign with Austrian label Lethal Records for the release of their second album, A Thousand Swords. This album was a strong release in the vein of 1994's Wolves, yet at the same time represented a move away from pure black metal into a more folk/pagan-styled sound. Unfortunately for the band, Darken's statements on his political and racial beliefs in some interviews in this time period caused Lethal Records to drop the band.

The next phase of Graveland's existence saw them shift even further away from a pure, old-school black metal to a more folk-influenced sound. With a core of Darken and Capricornus (Karcharoth left in 1995), the band began to focus on a sound that reflected Darken's obsession with his pagan beliefs. This sound has more or less persisted to this day (in varying forms). It can rightly be characterized as a viking/folk/pagan black metal more than anything else. Graveland songs began increasing in length, with epic symphonic passages that are designed to evoke ancient battlefields from Europe's pre-Christian past. Even the album titles reflect this aesthetic change and interest in heritage and the past: Following the Voice of Blood, Immortal Pride, Memory and Destiny, etc.

"Sacrifice for Honour" is from 1998's Immortal Pride--note how long it is!

Graveland's sound has been fairly consistent since their transition to a more viking-esque style. They continue to release albums to this day focusing on pagan eras goneby, painting sweeping soundscapes that fans of any pagan or viking black metal owes it to themselves to check out.

Select Discography: 

Necromanteion (demo) (1992)

Drunemeton (demo)  (1993)

In the Glare of the Burning Churches (demo) (1993)

Celtic Winter (demo) (1994)

Carpathian Wolves (full-length)  (1994)

Thousand Swords (full-length) (1995)

Following the Voice of Blood (full-length) (1997)

Immortal Pride (full-length) (1998)

Creed of Iron (full-length) (2000)

Next time: FRANCE'S LES LEGIONS NOIRES - MÜTIILATION