1 	The Night Of Fullmoon 	6:51
2 	At The Pagan Samhain Night 	7:00
3 	Born For War 	4:51
4 	The Gates Of Kingdom Of Darkness 	5:56
5 	Hordes Of Empire 	4:39
6 	Thurisaz 	8:22
7 	For Pagan And Heretic's Blood 	2:51
8 	Thousand Swords 	7:56
9 	Black Metal War! 	2:05

Rob Darken - vocal, keyboards
Sigrunar - drums
Mścisłav - guitar, bass guitar

For more than 20 years, Graveland has been putting out Pagan black metal albums, but in 2015, it’s sole member, Rob Darken, returns with a new lineup and intentions of cleaning up the old with a newer sound. “1050 Years of Pagan Cult” is an album of re-recorded Graveland classics, but does it do the old material justice and how does it fit in with today’s Pagan metal releases?

In my opinion, the track selection is great. I was happy to see two tracks from their ‘94 demo, “The Celtic Winter”. Thankfully, Graveland don’t overkill with the runtime of the album. They could have easily had a 20 song album, but at 9 tracks coming to up to 50 minutes, the album can be sat through and enjoyed. The standout tracks are “At the Pagan Samhain Night”, “Thousands of Swords” and “Born For War”. The listener certainly gets a Bathory feeling, although the production is polished. For most, this is the dealbreaker, would you rather a cold raw version of the songs or a cleaned up bigger sound? Personally I feel the mix does the songs justice, as there are many synths and keyboards being used, therefore a clean and proper mix makes it easier to listen, as well putting every instrument in it’s place.

The performances on the album are great. Darken sticks to the keyboards and vocals for this one, leaving the new lineup to show why he recruited them. While the instrumentation is well done, some of the songs contain riffs that are all that bit too much and it is hard to get a clear idea as to what the guitarists are doing, but this is only minor and not the fault of the musicians themselves as these are older songs.

While technically a compilation, the theme of the album is fantastic as it doesn’t only take on Viking/Norse paganism but Graveland even incorporate Celtic themes into the album. The only downside I feel is that every song is about battle and warfare. While I adore historical warfare, for the whole album, it feels too expected halfway through the album.

However, Graveland still manage to bring some moments of inspiration with their songwriting. While most of the songs are made up of symphonic intro and blast beats, there are certain moments when a different instrument is layered over, or a drum break last that much longer, however the dynamics of the album are limited to this formula.

Unless you despise modern production, if you are Graveland fan, this is for you. For anyone who enjoys black metal leaning towards viking metal, I guess this might be for you also, however don’t expect too much branching out. What makes this album good in one sense is that Bathory fans have something fresh in terms of mixing and mastering to listen to. The album has limited replay ability but this is a case of preferring some songs to others. Don’t expect too much but expect a solid rework of classic Viking metal songs. It will be interesting to see what this new lineup can come up with their next release when all members are involved in writing. ---DaithiOCorcaigh, metal-archives.com

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1 	Thunderbolts Of The Gods 	7:10
2 	Red Polaris 	8:10
3 	Possessed By Steel 	8:30
4 	Chamber Of The Wicked Tears 	7:31
5 	Wolf Of The North 	9:09
6 	When Hammer Shines (Outro) 	2:26

Chorus – Alruna, Rob Darken
Guitars, Bass, Drums], Vocals, Keyboards – Rob Darken 

When it comes to innovation, few acts have as divided a discography as Graveland. From its inception in 1992 until 2002’s Memory and Density Graveland underwent constant reinvention. From the pitch black sounds of Carpathian Wolves to the rowdy folk metal of Thousand Swords to the bombastic symphonic metal of Immortal Pride, no two Graveland records sounded alike. Then, out of nowhere, Rob Darken’s songwriting stopped evolving. Since 2003 Graveland has remained snugly embedded within the style of symphonic viking metal. Each of the last six records has offered the same formula: seven to ten minute songs that shift between melodic riffs backed by divine choirs, and harsher, attacking blackened riffs accentuated by Rob’s grizzled rasp.

Graveland’s twelfth full length, Thunderbolts of the Gods, offers few surprises. It’s another serving of symphonic viking metal, so for those who have grown tired of Rob’s take on the style, this record has little to offer. However, for those who enjoy Rob’s take on the style, Thunderbolts of the Gods is one of the stronger and more consistent Graveland records of the past decade. Part of the strength of Thunderbolts of the Gods comes from its concision. While most of Graveland’s recent releases have offered a few unforgettable tracks, they also tend to be bogged down with filler. Thunderbolts of the Gods consists of five songs plus and outro, adding up to forty-three minutes. Every track is memorable in itself and each track offers a unique enough mood to distinguish itself from its neighbors. The title track is dark and foreboding, “Possessed by Steel” beams with bombast and glory, and “Chamber of Wicked Tears” is somber and melancholic.

There’s no denying that the songwriting is formulaic. Each track starts out on the soft side, with moody chanting, synths and guitar before gradually building toward primitive, militant riffs. The songs tend to ebb back and forth between the attacking, riff-driven passages and the glorious, choir-based choruses. Despite the predictability, the songwriting is effective. The contrast between brutality and beauty consistently creates an excellent sense of drama.

There is one other minor improvement on Thunderbolts of the Gods. On Graveland’s previous record, Spears of Heaven, the drum programming was annoyingly repetitive, with the same fills being used throughout the record. Here, the drum programming is more dynamic, with a nice range of fills and a fresh, lively tone.

For those who enjoyed Graveland’s recent efforts, Thunderbolts of the Gods is well worth listening to. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but if you’re craving a solid cut of epic viking metal, this album will definitely satisfy. ---CrimsonFloyd, metal-archives.com

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1 	Krew I Popiół 	2:36
2 	Tyrani Okrucieństwa 	10:21
3 	Nie Ma Miłosierdzia W Moim Sercu 	9:31
4 	Starożytna Krew 	11:22
5 	Białe Bestie Swaroga 	11:42
6 	Ostateczna Śmierć 	9:53
7 	Świątynia Mojej Nienawiści 	10:16

Darken - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums

GRAVELAND był kiedyś alternatywą lub nawet antidotum wobec surowego black metalu. Od "Immortal Pride" szedł drogą pagan/viking/epic metalu i już nie oglądał się na to, co tworzą ortodoksi z jego okolic czy ogólnie z naszego kraju. Niektórym się to nie podobało, niektórzy mówili temu zdecydowane nie. Albo to akurat tak wypadało wyklinać Roba Darkena od czci i wiary, albo komuś nie pasowało, że odwrócił się od surowego, norweskiego black metalu na rzecz nieskrywanych fascynacji BATHORY z czasów 'Blood Fire Death', 'Hammerheart' czy nawet 'Twilight of the Gods'. 'Prawo Stali' jest takim albumem, który wnika dość mocno w 'Quorthonowskie' podejście do muzyki i konstruowania utworów poprzez monumentalną, epicką atmosferę, rozbudowywanie poszczególnych motywów i chóralne zaśpiewy. I w tym momencie można mieć pewne zastrzeżenia do GRAVELAND, bo to, co BATHORY wychodziło naturalnie, tak na 'Prawie Stali', ale i na kilku kolejnych płytach również, brzmi syntetycznie, przez co uleciało z 40 procent potencjału jaki posiadał w owym czasie Darken. Bo z pozoru wszystko tutaj jest na miejscu - wzniosłe motywy są, wściekłość i furia są, 'rycerski' klimat też, długie, rozbudowane kompozycje tak samo i można by tak wymieniać jeszcze długo. Niestety, pomimo ponownego miksu, który Rob zrobił na znacznie lepszym sprzęcie niż 10 lat wcześniej bębny nadal brzmią 'pudełkowato', a sound klawiszy jest chwilami zanadto plastikowy i obleczony w niepotrzebny patos. Ale zaznaczam, że sam materiał nie jest słaby, bądź nudny, choć w takiej stylistyce nie jest trudno o dłużyzny i zupełnie niepotrzebne niczemu pasaże. Tych można by tu znaleźć trochę, ale zasadniczo GRAVELAND trzymało się pewnej koncepcji i tu już zarzutów jest jakby mniej. Oparta na black metalu gra gitar zakręca melodyką akordów w stronę folku (głównie słowiańskiego, choć nordyckie elementy też dają o sobie znać) i muzyki dawnej, a klawiszowe wtręty pojawiają się w odpowiednich momentach. Do wokali też nie można mieć wiele 'ale', gdyż Darken ma rozpoznawalny, lekko chrypliwy głos, a ten pasuje do takiej, a nie innej estetyki. Dodam jeszcze, iż moim faworytem na tym albumie pozostał tak jak dawniej kawałek 'Nie Ma Miłosierdzia W Moim Sercu'. Nie mam pojęcia jak 'Prawo Stali' będzie odbierane przez młodsze pokolenie, ale powinno tak czy siak wypróbować i posłuchać tego albumu, który został na nowo wydany w digipaku i wygląda to naprawdę nieźle. A dla starszych fanów wiadomość istotna jest taka, że na re-edycji można znaleźć dwa dodatkowe numery: 'Ostateczna Śmierć' i 'Świątynia Mojej Nienawiści'. Nie jest to żadna nowinka dla tych, którzy zakupili wydaną w 2009 roku re-edycję niemieckiej No Colours Records, jednakowoż to kawałki mało znane. ---Diovis, mrocznastrefa.webh.pl

Say what you will about Graveland, but Rob Darken certainly knows how to create atmosphere. Nowhere is this more obvious than on Graveland's 5th full length studio album - this thing is a veritable wall of sound which conjurs up psychological images of a proud army of heathen warriors marching into battle. With 5 songs totalling just under 45 minutes, Creed Of Iron is epic in both length, phrasing and atmosphere alike. The "intro", "Blood And Ash", is a brooding 2:34 of droning choir-synths interspersed with passages of crushing heaviness. It leads directly into "Tyrants Of Cruelty", a song which must rank as one of Graveland's crowning moments. The fluidity, pacing and flow of this song are simply jaw-dropping in their intensity. And when I say intensity, I don't mean a mesmerizing display of speed - this is the other end of the spectrum, sheer weight infused into layered tectonic plates of sound. Rob's froggish vocal exhortations add a layer of rhythmic ambience to the whole affair, echoing throughout the soundscape without much emphasis on pronounciation - instead, he just drawls the lyrics in a languid croak.

The next song, "No Mercy In My Heart", speeds things up a bit, although it still canters along at a leisurely pace. An excellent synth melody crops up around the 7-minute mark, pushing the song towards it's final burst of doom-laden atmospheric violence. It's simultaneously the catchiest and most morbid song on offer.

"Ancient Blood" and "White Beasts Of Wotan" round things out with a return to the battle-march of the first two songs, although "Ancient Blood" piles on even more war-drums and vocal layers, with guitars weaving in and out of the brilliantly programmed drumbeats (seriously, I was highly surprised to learn that Capricornus had left before the recording of this album - the drum programming emulates his unique style so well it's hard to believe it's even a machine). "White Beasts..." is a little bit "happier" than the others, but it's still as essential as anything else on here. In fact, i'm only rating it 99 because it's too damn short! ---chaossphere, metal-archives.com

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