Year of release: 2018
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Rating: 8,4 / 10
While listening to the introduction to "Order of Vengeance" and looking at the cover, I was sure that now I will hear another bad clone of Viking era BATHORY. While listening to the first riffs, accompanied by a deaf dulling drum part, I was sadly thinking about forty minutes of the upcoming "atmospheric" pseudo-Nordic shit about Vikings and conquests. While listening to the long chords and stringy melodies that followed, with ever-increasing pleasant surprise I sensed deja vu, recognizing the proprietary moves of the wonderful project BLOOD STRONGHOLD. And then, after the visit to Metal Archives, I understood everything.
If you (very vainly) missed my recommendations on BLOOD STRONGHOLD, then I will remind you that this is a project of the Australian musician nicknamed Nightwolf, created by him together with the ubiquitous Polish musician Vened "Wilk" Slavibor (VENEDAE and about a million of another bands). In BS, Vened only does drumming, and everything else is up to Nightwolf. In RUNESPELL, the Australian works all alone. Do not forget about the cult act ETERNUM, the main composer of which is also Nightwolf, and the vocalist is Azgorh (DROWNING THE LIGHT, BLACK FUNERAL). All these three formations are united not only similar music (to be honest, not just similar, but almost identical), but also by completely genuine, sincere white European spirituality. This may seem like a paradox, given the country of Nightwolf's residence, but the fact remains. His music penetrates into the depths of the subconscious, evoking the memories of something ancient, pure and sacred. It's not a coincidence that RUNESPELL / BLOOD STRONGHOLD / ETERNUM has a strong similarity with GRAVELAND, because Darken and Nightwolf are trying to achieve roughly the same. But for almost two decades, Rob has recorded a completely unconvincing bullshit, while the Australian has a real, living archaic in every song. RUNESPELL compositions envelop, fill the soul with clean air of those times when the world was still young, not spoiled by technological civilization, and man knew his place on this planet. This feeling is very rare now in music, so appreciate it, support RUNESPELL ... and think about what Nightwolf wants to tell you.
English (UK) 
Крыўская