Hail / Frozen Grave
Album: Frozen Grave   Collection:General 12"
Artist:Hail   Added:Mar 2014
Label:Pesanta Urfolk  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2014-03-28 Pull Date: 2014-05-30 Charts: Loud
Week Ending: May 25 May 18 May 11 Apr 27 Apr 13 Apr 6
Airplays: 1 1 1 1 1 2

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 16, 2014: Today's Show
B1: Exit
4. May 10, 2014: Music Casserole
C2: The Cold Grain, C1: The Autopsy Ii, A2: Black Plague
2. May 24, 2014: BravoMarco Variety Show
C1: The Autopsy Ii
5. Apr 21, 2014: Deathcrush
D1: The Autopsy Iii
3. May 16, 2014: no voices aloud
A2: Black Plague
6. Apr 09, 2014: Meow MIA: Catnip After Midnight
B1: Exit

Album Review
The Grunt
Reviewed 2014-03-28
Hail // Frozen Grave
TAGS: Neofolk, Dark Ambient, Black Metal

Wow, what an album!!! Originally released on CDr in 2009, this gem was picked up and released on white vinyl by Pesanta Urfolk in 2012. You should really read the liner notes too because, in a sense, this is a concept album. Inspired by a rather gory but beautiful poem written by Polish/German Expressionist Georg Heym about an autopsy. READ THE POEM!!! They use it as a motif to explore the intersection between black metal and neofolk. This album, in many ways, represents a modern current of black metal and why I like the genre so much…it's so much more about atmosphere and seeing the beauty in darkness than screaming or distorted guitars.

This album takes its time and slowly unravels its beauty to you. The majority of this album is good for people who have no interest in "metal". CHECK IT OUT!!! Mention that it was graciously gifted to us by the superb Pesanta Urfolk label.

SIDE A: MOSTLY BLACK METAL WITH PURE BEAUTY ON A2
A1.) + Very Icy and atmospheric black metal. Acoustic interlude with spoken word. Guitar slide from Hell takes us back into the fray.

A2.) + + Beautiful instrumental neofolk. Warm acoustic guitars and mandolin sound almost Spanish. Bowed strings. Spoken word in German from some really old recording. This is gorgeous and slightly creepy.

Side B: BASICALLY ALL INDUSTRIAL / DARK AMBIENT
B1.) + + Cool cool cool dark electronic / industrial. Deep dark synth rumble, dark ambient sounds, and creepy monologues in english, german, and maybe japanese. Some high-pitched-but-mellow screeches as well as a light synth melody deep in the background. This is a beautiful atmosphere.

B2.) Dark ambient low rumbles with jangly metallic noises…and a flute!

Side C : BASICALLY ALL NEOFOLK!!! PLAY THIS WHOLE SIDE!!!
C1.) + + Icy black metal BRIEFLY then acoustic guitar and martial drums rise up, despite being acoustic manages to keep the black metal aesthetic intact. Turns more DREAMY neofolk with some deep male drone chants…you'll forget there was ever any black metal in this song at all.

C2.) + + Continuation of C1 with some genuine throat singing and overtones.

Side D: EQUAL PARTS NEOFOLK AND BLACK METAL
D1: Sounds like melody from Black Plague (A2)? Underneath the chants and beautiful guitars, the latter verses of the poem are recited…a declaration of love for the corpse lying on the dissecting table. BLACK METAL COMES CRASHING IN!!! Repetitive, contemplative, meditative. The doctor brings the hammer down upon the temple of the corpse.

Track Listing
1. A1: The Autopsy I   5. C1: The Autopsy Ii
2. A2: Black Plague   6. C2: The Cold Grain
3. B1: Exit   7. D1: The Autopsy Iii
4. B2: Lonesome   .