Walg - Zielenleed - Song Review - Melodic Black Metal from Groningen, Netherlands
Today, I am writing about the promising melodic black metal band Walg from Groningen, Netherlands, and their single “Zielenleed,” released in 2022.
Walg - Zielenleed (Official Track Release)
Although Zielenleed didn't immediately resonate with me on my first listen, it would be unfair to ignore the success of representing old-school black metal in this century. In my opinion, the song was constructed so precisely that it became one of my favorite black metal songs I recently discovered and deserves all the respect it gets.
The musical foundation has familiar and traditional black metal influences, reminding you of Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, and even Burzum from time to time. Although the traditional part plays a heavy influence in its foundation, it didn't stop Walg from being more creative and visionary, turning everything into a cinematic experience. The music stands out with its powerful dynamics, attitude, aggression, and extremity, immediately making you feel the terror and dark energy pumping through your veins.
Regarding production, it has industry-leading standards, carrying both modern and early black metal influences with character. The energy level and dynamics are fantastic, so the song never really gets boring. Also, the characterization of each instrument was one of the highlights of their work. The vocalist is ,once again, undoubtedly one of the best black metal vocalists I've heard in a long time from the underground scene. He stands out with not only his voice but also his character.
Walg, band photoCredit: Unknown
On the other hand, the song is 6 minutes long, so I can only imagine how challenging it could get to film a video for it. As we know from traditional black metal, people never really cared about things like production, band image, or other aesthetics; they are rather into the idea of being true to themselves. In this case, Walg is an innovative collective, even though I found it hard to watch the music video until the end. The scenes were of great quality, but they also reminded me of stock footage. I tried my best to follow the story, but unfortunately couldn't make anything out of it.
Additionally, I believe Walg can use more visionary ideas and fewer traditional ones in their music. Zielenleed had a bit too much of the traditional ideas that everybody's familiar with from the black metal scene, which I also know isn't the focus point of Walg's music. It's just they are much more special than this.
Walg, band photoCredit: Unknown
In conclusion, my discovery of Walg has been a great experience, and I'd share their music with anyone who wants to hear some pure and proper black metal. Walg's visionary approach to old-school black metal while staying true to its origins makes them one of the finest black metal bands I've recently discovered. Strongly recommend for fans of Cradle of Filth. I hope you enjoyed the review – thank you for your time and attention.
Walg on the web
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