HERALDIC BLAZE - Monument of Will LP

There is an undeniable elevation in scope and purpose, exuding a grander maturity, chiselling its form with near-sculptural grace. The flute, that most unexpected guest in the dominion of black metal, is no longer a passing whisper but a spirit guide, breathing a bucolic tone into the dense mists of distortion, weaving through the bristling guitars that pulse with both fervour and tenderness. The guitar is as harmonious as it is merciless as heart-wrenching solos climb from the soil like ivy seeking the sun, while the rhythm carries the swagger of black ’n’ roll yet remains anchored within the boundary of its genre. The drums are undoubtedly notorious in their dynamic balance of grace and aggression.

“Monument of Will” resounds with an ethereal clarity, yet it never loses its human warmth, it walks the difficult path between sterility and chaos. Riffs and leads interlace seamlessly, forming a melodic web where sorrow and splendour coexist.

Argent Pale’s vocals guide this odyssey with the cadence of a torch-bearer, as each outcry is an incantation of longing and defiance. There are moments that Heraldic Blaze might recall Vicarivs Filii Dei, yet what they offer here is more vibrant, more instinctively their own.

“Monument of Will” is the conflagration of melody and might, purity and defiance. It transcends the confines black metal, wandering instead through folkloric soundscapes where melancholy and triumph entwine.


Black LP.
Gatefold.