A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: Bluebeard’s Chamber by Blackbriar

Okay, so Blackbriar is alternative metal, but they have symphonic elements. They still count as symphonic metal. (I know Metal Archives calls them pop in their rules, but that’s bullshit as far as I’m concerned.)

For those who aren’t familiar, Blackbriar is a symphonic alt/gothic metal band from the Netherlands, formed in 2012, with their debut album coming out in 2021. (Long gap, I know, but music is weird sometimes.) They are a 6 piece band, composed of vocalist Zora Cock, drummer René Boxem, guitarists Bart Winters and Robin Koezen, keyboardist Ruben Wijga, and bassist Siebe Sol Sijpkens.

This album kinda came out of nowhere for me, since I hadn’t really been keeping up with them too closely, so when I saw they had a countdown for it on Spotify, I was pleasantly surprised.

Bluebeard’s Chamber, the opening track, has the hallmark mysterious opening of a Blackbriar track. Zora’s voice, leading us through these stories and references to various fairy tales, retains the balance of power and mystery of previous albums, something that makes her one of my favourite metal singers. The symphonic nature adds to the mystery of this track, leaning into the orchestral sound and occasional borrowed chords.

The Hermit and the Lover has a very fun start, with the vocals going right from the start. As an overall track, it keeps that mystery and darker sound, which is something I have been loving so much about the band’s sound overall. The riffs in the bridge also keep the song feeling very interesting when contrasted against the symphonic elements of the band, and it feels very unique.

The Fossilized Widow has a very heavy start, and the movement of the melody feels very confused, but in a very organised manner. It feels like the person in the story is grabbing the emotions they want us to feel and yanking them to the front of the listener’s awareness. (If you’ve read Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn saga, this concept should be familiar to you.) It feels like there’s some deeper emotional stake than just wanting to know about an old spirit, almost like they’re looking for someone they loved. Also, the echoing laugh at the end of the track is so tasteful. I love it, 10/10, no notes.

My Lonely Crusade sits in a bit of a lower part of Zora’s range in the beginning, and she makes very good use of it. She leans into the darker sound of her lower range, bringing out that more angry sound, and a distant scream over heavy chugs during the bridge brings out more of that pain and rage. This entire track makes me wish there was more love for lower registers and ranges among clean vocals in metal. (I want that anyway, but you get the idea.)

Floriography has a far more mysterious start than anything else so far, with the only layering being piano and vocals, both muffled, led in by a few notes from a music box. The bass is also a little more audible in the mix early on, and I will always love that. It feels very searching, and as a track, it speaks to some pagan experiences I’ve had in the past, in looking for signs and messages basically everywhere. (Which shouldn’t be your go to idea, but that’s a matter for another rambling shitpost, not here.) This song is just generally so fun and I am very intrigued about the story behind it. I also really like the breathy tone Zora’s voice takes on right at the end, because it adds to the mystery of the entire track and feels very spirit-like.

The Catastrophe That Is Us feels much more sad right off the bat, and it brings in the darkness of heartbreak without closure. The overall sound is still quite heavy, but with more heartache than anger or mystery, as in other tracks. The bridge brings in Zora’s lower register again, which is very solid and very resonant, and it fits in this song so beautifully, contrasting against her higher register in the chorus so well. It really shows her range as a singer, and I love it.

A Last Sigh of Bliss has a more outright metal intro, all chugs, drums, and heavy riffs, before bringing the symphonics back in and it works so well. The song also feels both angry and melancholic, almost with a sense of drowning in your emotions, but not quite being able to know how to navigate it. It keeps the mystery of the rest of the album, and it weaves in the anger seamlessly. The piano ending also makes the entire track feel almost unresolved, but in a way that still feels resolved.

Green Light Across the Bay has a very light vocal intro, with the instrumentals coming in heavy not long after. It leans more into the mysterious nature of the fates of those involved, hinting to a deeper story beyond what’s being said. Zora as a singer leans more on her higher range here, and it works so well. She manages to keep the resonance found in her lower range throughout her middle and higher registers, and I find it so intriguing how she manages to balance both sides. The storytelling of the song also feels very fun and like you know exactly what’s going on with minimal guidance.

I Buried Us leans into a more reminiscent sound, hinting at better times long gone. The bass is also a bit higher in the mix during the second verse, which I love so much. (I love a good bit of bass, okay, can you really blame me?) The entire song feels like there’s some reason the romance failed and that the former object of affection still holds some sort of grasp on the person’s heart, but not enough for them to not move on. It takes a more light tone on a topic that is more often done as dark, though still retaining the sadness that one would expect out of the topic.

Harpy has a birdcall at the start before getting into the music, which I find very cool. It also has a whistle more clear in the mix right before the vocals come in, played by Jeroen Goossens, and it leads into the vocals, once again with some clear bass, very nicely. The birdcall comes back throughout the song, as does the whistle, and it adds so much to the track from an overall sound design perspective. As a song, the heaviness of the instrumentals contrasting against Zora’s lighter, almost dreamlike tone in the chorus and bridge brings something so interesting to the album and is, in my mind, the perfect closing track for this album. It fits in the style of the band beautifully while still playing around with some more cool sound design elements to bring out something new from their sound.

This album is fantastic. I love the overall sense of mystery in the music, and it brings something very fun to metal, something that we absolutely need more of in general. This album is probably going to be a favourite of mine for a while.