Artist: Torver
Title: Witching Hour
Type: Album
Label: Digital / Wulfhere Productions
Well this has been a bit of time coming I suppose – I became aware of Torver (apparently a hamlet in Cumbria) in 2015 with their split with Arcane North so eleven years, or twelve if you got there ahead of me. Oddly enough though it is not really shifting lineups here, but more likely the number of other obligations members have, with every member having a dizzying list of past and present bands in the Cumbrian scene and beyond the afore mentioned Arcane North we have Ulfarr, Thy Dying Light, Heathen Deity and former bands like Aklash, Anwwn and Wolvencrown in their resume. It is some list. Not to mention of course one Hrafn who runs Wulfhere Productions…. Yeah, busy people. And talented.
‘Prelude To Nightfall’, the intro, brings a storm and then keyboards of a gothic and grim sound, a processional sound with a violin sound weaving its funeral lament through the music. The production feels full and rich without being smothering, keeping a nice edge to it, preventing it falling into some romantic reverie but still oozing with atmosphere.
‘Nocturnal Serenade’ is a lovely driving sound, excellent up front drums, a smooth wash of keys behind the riff and when the violin comes in once more it becomes haunted. The harsh vocals snarl, the song swirls and twists and dances through a dark and violent waltz.
‘Apthoeosis’ is harder in attack intially, straight to the throat. It has a drive behind it and the half narrated vocals pushing it before suddenly opening out into the most glorious melodic, almost ethereal melodies even while the background still drives hard. Symphonic black metal? Should I mention here that I am not the greatest fan of symphonic black metal? Well perhaps because there is an edge to Torver that belies the impression of softness that such a tag suggests, but the arrangement, the delicacy of some acoustic parts and clean vocals set this within the border, just so much more.
‘Witching Hour’ pushes the melodic darkness even more, and once again the gorgeous tones of the violin from vocalist Nicholas Miller lead us deep into a disorienting dance of dark and of glorious forbidden revels. The drumming here (Julian Foster) is superb, adding drama to each beat and again that grounding power. ‘Reformation Of The Trinity’ is simply eerie; a dark flow of violin, a lovely up front run of bass from Paul Gibson (also guitarist with Marc Hoyland who also plays keys) and a sweep into the grand swell of the song that brings to mind haunted and twisted ceremonies.
‘Gardens Of Ithaca’ is a beautiful, shadowed instrumental; a dark turn of violin and acoustic guitars. Bittersweet and delicate and to me full of a strange longing.
The power and dark glory soar back with ‘Where Angels Fear To Tread And Walk Alone’. I particularly love the clean vocals in this, almost teetering on the edge of mania somehow and with the strange downward spiralling violin melody a feeling of insanity hovers around the edges. ‘Good And Ill Are Naught But Hollow Empty Shards’ by contrast has sense of determination to the drive and push of the music, an echoing current to it.
‘A Shield Of Polished Silver’ has a direct, pushing feel until it opens out with the violin and keys pushing open the stage and the melody flooding in. It is intense and focussed as it passes through that, through the soft midsection and out again. It pulls melody with it, gradually allowing ot to overtake once more and slow the world to a halt. The outro, a funereal moment or two of grand and gothic horror closes Torver’s debut.
And I sit and think.
As I say this style is not usually my thing but the fact this album hit me so hard and so deeply is a true testament to the talent here. It has taken the sound of that split I bought a decade ago and built a strange, almost baroque at times cathedral upon it. The classical tones of the violin are like a watermark throughout the album but the refusal of the songwriting to let the music drift of into a world of wilted flowers and doomed romance is superb. It has its influences yes, but on those I shall not dwell as this is for me a rather unique album in the UK and proof that the most strange and haunting black metal sounds can have real grit and a powerful furnace in their foundations.
Definitely, absolutely worthy investigating. Love it.
Gizmo
Walking The Liminal Space 