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By Tom O’Dell of Dwarrowdelf
(one epic black metal legend interviews another)
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Billed as an album observing the evolution of living beings through the eyes of nature, Belore‘s Journey Through Mountains and Valleys is the debut release of the latest act to join the great epic black metal heritage of Northern Silence Productions. Whilst it retains many traditional elements of the genre, like buzzing high-end guitars and programmed drums, don’t fall into the trap of assuming that this is merely another Summoning clone.
Through 7 full length epic tracks, each filled with dynamic peaks and valleys, Belore pulls the listener into forgotten lands of its own creation, brimming with magic and wonder. Taking all the essential elements of atmospheric black metal – chanting choirs, tremolo leads, and gargling vocals – and running them through a folky filter, the album evokes powerful and triumphant emotions.
As with any epic black metal album worth its salt, there’s a great variety of instrumentation on show. Highlights include some expertly written and played tin whistle sections (‘The Howling Winds’ especially), and lots of triumphant, phat sounding brass (‘The Bewitching Horns’). The subtle choir pads and synths are also particularly of note, subtly adding a sense of massive scale to the music.
In general, songwriting within this subgenre can sometimes lend itself to generic approaches, and Journey isn’t totally free of this – ‘The King’s Funeral’ uses that four-chord progression we’ve heard a thousand times before (you’ll know the one), and doesn’t really take it in any new directions. It’s by no means a bad song, it just means that it doesn’t have the same standout quality showcased by the rest of the album.* Journey’s most triumphant moments are when original structures and progressions come to their glorious peaks, showcasing the true songwriting talent at work behind the scenes. See the utterly epic closing minutes of ‘The Valley of the Giants’ or ‘The Whispering Mountains’ for proof.
My only other real gripe with the production and performance is the harsh vocals; they’re a little thin, and certainly aren’t helped by their placement in the mix. However, this isn’t the case for the cleans, which are nicely panned and blended into the epic soundscapes rather than over the top, creating comparisons in my mind with Nature Stays Silent-era Cân Bardd and Falkenbach. Belore certainly isn’t scared to show off his singing prowess, and the balance between growls and choral singing is excellent and effective.
Journey Through the Mountains is a monumental triumph for Belore, and I predict we’ll be hearing many great things from him in the near future. There’s a true sense of independent spirit, and you can’t help but be drawn in by the powerful vision of Belore’s world. As Black Metal Daily’s resident cheese expert, I’m all for shining the light on the epic and majestic projects emerging in the scene – to that end, read on for an in-depth interview with the man behind Belore himself!
Essential tracks: ‘The Howling Winds’, ‘The Valley of the Giants’
*I’m guilty of using it. We’re all guilty of it… I really shouldn’t complain.
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Hello Belore! It’s a pleasure to have you for a chat about your excellent debut album, Journey Through Mountains and Valleys. As a quick start, maybe you can briefly introduce yourself and any others involved?
– Hello Tom! And thank you for your interest in my project. I’m Aleevok, and I manage Belore as a one-man-band. I have an other musical activity as live bassist in the French medieval black metal band Darkenhöld for 10 years now.
Starting at the beginning… this is Belore’s first sign of life, and it’s a fully fledged album with a magnificent theme. To top that off, it’s also being released on one of the big names of the underground metal world, Northern Silence Productions. When did you first start working on this project? Did you ever consider releasing an EP earlier in the band’s life? And how did you manage to secure such an awesome record deal?
– At first, I saw this project as a simple entertainment activity without considering releasing an album. After composing several songs and having a few friends listen to the demo versions, I realized that I could create a correct finished product. Basically, I wanted to start a crowdfunding and release the album with just a few copies. When in doubt, I wrote to several labels, Torsten (from Northern Silence) immediately responded positively. I was very pleasantly surprised and moved; I didn’t think that my project would be that successful. I have a deal for several albums with NSP and I intend to continue working hard to propose a worthy successor, but it will take time.
Obviously such a prominent label has meant that Belore has been thrust into the spotlight straight from the word go. At the time of writing this question, the album stream on Black Metal Promotion has amassed thousands of views in only a couple of days of being uploaded – how has the reception been amongst fans and critics? Are you pleased with it?
– Indeed, I didn’t think that the video would exceed 10k views after only one week! It’s great, the feedback has been very positive. People are very attentive and passionate in their comments, which is encouraging. I also have the feeling that my album appeals to people who don’t listen to a lot of black metal.
One thing that really stood out to me in this album was the production. Not only is there some great basswork, the mix is a lot warmer than a lot of similar albums and really helps the record stand out as a monumental epic. I gather that you self-produced this album; was this your first time mixing an album? Did you approach the production with a particular vision in mind?
– Thank you very much, I spent a lot of time mixing and mastering this album. I don’t have a real room or very good studio speakers, so I had to listen to the progress of my mix everywhere. I really wanted to have a homogeneous mix, punchy, and without elements that could bring the listener out of the atmosphere of the album.
Thank you for noting the work on the bass! I paid particular attention to the bass lines, so that they appear in a punctual manner, enrich the melody and are discreet afterwards.
I previously mixed Darkenhöld’s album Castellum in 2014 – if you listen to the title ‘Le Souffle des Vieilles Pierres‘, you’ll hear that the bass is also very present. I think it’s a real shame that the bass is constantly put in the role of support only and is inaudible in most metal mixes.
In a genre that’s admittedly quite saturated with a lot of similar-sounding artists, this album does a great job at pulling together lots of influences to create a unique sound. Who are the artists that inspired you to start this project? Are there any surprising influences?
– My main influences are Summoning and Caladan Brood, but I was also very influenced by Moonsorrow (notably on ‘The Initiation Ritual’), Saor for some flutes or drums parts like in ‘The Howlings Fields’, and so on. Concerning surprising influences, it would be Watain. I love their lead guitar melodies; for example, it was whilst listening to ‘The Child Must Die’ that I got the inspiration for the melody at the end of ‘The Whispering Mountains’.
Let’s take a moment to talk about the themes of the album – each track is billed as its own story, with nature as the main protagonist of the record. It seems like you’ve decided to fully create your own world within your music, a place to transport the listener. Could you summarise the journey you want to take the listener on, and why these particular themes stood out to you?
– Indeed, this album talks about different stories placed in a fantastic medieval world that I myself imagined. I didn’t want, as other bands do, to base my concept on existing universes such as those of J.R.R Tolkien or Steven Erikson. The world I have created is, for the moment, not very detailed. No names appear to facilitate the interpretation and the imagination of the listener. You will find the history of a conflict between a royal faction and a peasant world which tries, without success, some rebellions. There is also an initiatory journey of a young Druid within his clan in order to acquire his rank of warrior, and a man going to seek help near a mythological race of giants in an unknown valley. The most moving is ‘The King’s Funeral’ where the ceremony is majestically described, accompanied by epic and melancholic music. All the lyrics of the album are very descriptive, so that the listener can imagine the events and landscapes that I wanted to transcribe through my music.
These themes are dear to me because I am a nature and landscape lover. I have practiced mountain hiking (in the French Alps) and medieval combat for several years.
A few bands in this kind of genre have made the transition to the stage – Saor, Sojourner, Cân Bardd to name a few. Others, like Emyn Muil, Caladan Brood and even Summoning themselves have steadfastly remained studio bands. With all the layers and atmospheres present in the music, I know playing live is certainly a daunting prospect just from considering my own project! Where does Belore stand on this question – can we expect any live performances in the future? Do you have any experience in this field?
– I’ve been making music on stage for about 15 years. I’ve been in lots of bands in different styles of metal (progressive, melodic death etc.), but my main band is still Darkenhöld with whom I’ve been playing for 10 years. We’ve played many concerts, some of them in major festivals like Hellfest, Cernunnos Fest, and Forest Fest.
It’s a very difficult thing to faithfully transcribe this music live. Saor did it very well over the years, but their music is more suitable for it. My main goal is to make music that I like, and if I am very satisfied with what I produce, to release albums. Writing already takes me so long that I’m not considering live yet. If one day I decided to start a band, I would have to work even harder to ensure that the result is perfect. It is out of the question that I harm my music on stage.
Before we wrap things up, are there any other future plans for Belore you can reveal at this stage? I know fans love limited vinyl and cassette releases, or even splits and guest appearances with other artists; who would be your dream artists to collaborate with?
– I don’t really know what’s going to happen for the future of Belore. The project is very new, the album has just been released; we’ll have to wait to see how the album sales are going before planning the next. But we have ideas! Vinyl editions are a habit of the label, and I also would love to create t-shirts with a unique design. The only thing I can say is that the current success has encouraged me to compose a new album, and I already have some ideas.
Thanks for your time, Belore! It’s been a pleasure, and I look forward to seeing your project go from strength to strength. Any final words for the readers?
– Firstly, I’d like to thank Torsten from Northern Silence to have believed in my project; the new fans who are just incredible in comments, keep it up guys and I’m going to work hard to produce some new great things! And thanks to you Tom for inviting me to this great interview. Cheers!
Journey Through Mountains And Valleys is available now via Northern Silence Productions.
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Purchase Journey Through Mountains And Valleys digitally or on CD from the Northern Silence Bandcamp HERE, or digitally from the Belore Bandcamp HERE.
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