Raventale - Dark Substance Of Dharma (CD)

atmospheric black metal, BadMoodMan Music, BadMoodMan Music
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BadMoonMan Music presents the eighth album by Ukrainian atmospheric black metal band Raventale entitled “Dark Substance of Dharma”. This conceptual album is devoted to Indian and Tibetan mythology and offers to fully plunge into the cosmic order of Dharma, to parse the principles of existence and perception of this World. Special attention paid to the recording process and skills reached at previous albums resulted in full and rich tone of the sound.

Tracklist:
1 Intra-Mantra 2:25
2 Destroying The Seeds Of Karma 8:38
3 Dark Substance Of Dharma 6:52
4 Kali’s Hunger 3:08
5 Red Laugh’s Walking 4:33
6 I Am The Black Tara 8:56
7 Last Moon Fermata 7:26

Artist:
Raventale
Artist Country:
Ukraine
Album Year:
2015
Title:
Dark Substance Of Dharma
Genre:
atmospheric black metal
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Jewel Case
Label:
BadMoodMan Music
Cat Num:
BMM. 073-15
Release Year:
2015
Barcode:
4627080610972
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
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Review
Powermetal.de
7.5/10
07.11.2015

Musikalisch ist diese ukrainische Truppe noch in den mittleren 90ern verortet; melodischer Black Metal im Stile von DIMMU BORGIR und OLD MAN'S CHILD ist das tägliche Brot von RAVENTALE, doch dieses wurde zum wiederholten Male schmackhaft zubereitet. "Dark Substance Of Dharma" ist bereits das siebte Album, dass die Osteuropäer in den vergangenen zehn Jahren veröffentlicht hat, und auch diesmal bestätigt man den Regelfall, dass trotz des hohen Arbeitstempos kein Schnellschuss zu erwarten ist.

RAVENTALE setzt auch im neuesten Anlauf auf epische Songstrukturen, monumentale Klangflächen und gelegentlich progressive Arrangements, gibt der Melodik der sieben Stücke aber ebenfalls wieder das Zepter in die Hand. Die Kompositionen sind allesamt einprägsam und nehmen sich die Zeit, die hymnischen Harmonien schleppend aufzubauen und schlussendlich vollends auszukosten. 'Destroying The Seeds Of Karma' und auch 'I Am The Black Tara' sind Blaupausen in diesem Segment, kompaktere Nummern wie 'Kali's Hunger' und 'Red Laugh's Walking' schildern derweil, dass die Ukrainer es auch eine Spur aggressiver können. Der einzige Umstand, der hin und wieder störend wirkt, ist die Durchschaubarkeit des Songwritings. RAVENTALE profiliert sich zwar mit gezielten Spannungsbögen, ein gewisses Grundschema ist aber dennoch leicht zu filtern. Bei der Klasse der Kompositionen hat das keine einschneidenden Effekte, dass die Band sich auf "Dark Substance Of Dharma" aber noch einmal neu erfinden würde, entspricht eben auch nicht der Wahrheit. Aber muss sie das überhaupt? Nein, eigentlich nicht!

In der Summe hat die Band erneut einen guten Job gemacht, wenngleich die kreative Ader langsam aber sicher erschöpft ist. "Dark Substance Of Dharma" wird dementsprechend niemanden mehr überwältigen, ist als wirklich überzeugender Arbeitsnachweis aber ein wiederholtes Lob für RAVENTALE wert!

Author: Björn Backes
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:31
Review
Planet Mosh
4/5
02.11.2015

Hailing from the Ukraine, Raventale have been producing their brand of Atmospheric Black Metal for some ten years now. Each release builds on the previous in terms of story telling and substance, and gaining many new followers along the way.

The latest offering, ‘Dark Substance of Dharma’ is as complex as it is hard hitting, and yet works well in managing to remain melodically accessible without compromising the core values of the Black Metal genre. The stand out feature of this album though is the bands exceptionally well thought out (or daring) decision to incorporate and explore the mystical leanings of both Tibetan and Indian culture, and in particular (so I am told) the dark Goddess Kali.

Opening track proper, ‘Destroying The Seeds Of Karma’, is superbly well balanced in its delivery, a raw vocal thrusting through a medium paced riff of pure power and energy, in turn giving way in places to a wonderfully atmospheric temple chant that adds such a visual slant to the track. The title track, whilst without doubt a faster affair tempo wise, is equally as engaging, real emotion-stirring material. As I mentioned earlier, the album just oozes melody, something that I did not expect if truth be told but loses none of the killer edge or menace in the process. Even a track like ‘Kali’s Hunger’, which may by some be deemed to be a track that leans towards the more extreme end of the scale, fits perfectly into the grand scheme of the album as a whole. Stand out track for me personally though is the superb ‘I Am The Black Tara’, a simply epic song that switches from crushingly powerful Black Metal riffs to soaring atmospheric passages that encapsulate the whole vibe of the album.

Raventale have produced a really powerful album here, I am reluctant to pigeonhole and say that it belongs purely in a single genre because it has so much to offer. Well worth a listen in my view.

Author: Simon Bower
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:30
Review
Metal Gallows
8/10
06.11.2015

One of my fellow scribes summarized his distaste for atmospheric black metal as follows: “Whenever someone mentions atmospheric black metal, I automatically know that there is going to be a lot of standing around and doing nothing”. While this is applicable to most of today’s bands that overdo the repetition part, not all bands can be generalized like this. Done right, this form of music can result in something grim and beautiful. Case in point is the new record from Raventale, titled ‘Dark Substance of Dharma’. The seventh full length from this Ukranian one man project takes a thematic shift towards Indian and Tibetan philosophy, and the music showcases a fine balance of atmosphere, synth melody and guitar riffs.

Raventale Dark Substance of Dharma

Starting with familiar sounds of nature in ‘Intra-Mantra’, the whisphered words add a mystic flavour and sets the mood for the rest of the record. The guitar tones slowly and steadily emanate to the ritualistic beat of the drums, creating an occult atmosphere. The subtle synth work provides the melody and imparts a soothing character to the music, which though contrasting, works well with the harsh guitar work.

Many of bands playing this style of music, produce music that is quite one dimensional, focusing on the atmosphere alone. Raventale on the other hand, takes cues from the likes of early Burzum and Drudkh and the music has a harsh side to it. The repetitive guitar riffs and melodies find measured usage which proves very effective. On tracks like ‘Destroying the Seeds of Karma’, the guitars tend to take a softer approach, contributing to the atmosphere, while the title track sees the riffs taking the centre stage. The band’s vicious side is revealed on the track ‘Kali’s Hunger’, where the black metal chaos is unleashed in short span of 3 minutes. This variation is what sets Raventale apart from the monotonous herd.

RaventaleBlack metal is known for it’s repetitive riffs, the whole point of which is to nail the idea deep into the listener’s head. But when not done in the proper way, it can be very annoying. In Raventale’s case, the repetitiveness doesn’t feel cumbersome at all. The atmosphere, coupled with acrid vocal work and the mystic tone of the music makes even the longer tracks enjoyable. There are a couple of instances, however, where a wild breakdown appears (‘Last Moon Fermata’ and ‘Dark Substance of Dharma’) and these little bits feel very out of place. Then again, these are very small bits and are nowhere near enough to disrupt the experience of the album as a whole.

The album has a rich, layered sound which aids the atmosphere really well. The subtle synth and the abrasive guitars are just perfect in the mix. The duality of the soft atmosphere and the harsh guitars is showcased very well in the music. This combination makes the music sound vile and beautiful at the same time. It’s hard to come across a band that balances soothing, beautiful atmosphere with vicious guitar work as effectively as Raventale.

The band seems to be going strong with seven full lengths to their credit, each maintaining a level of consistency. ‘Dark Substance of Dharma’ is a solid addition to the Raventale catalogue and is a good jump in point as any other record in their discography.

Author: Satan Spawn
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:29
Review
Sounds Good
15.10.2015

Attivi sulla scena musicale dal 2005 la band di Kiev (capitale dell'Ucraina) dei "Raventale" conta all'attivo ben sei album, "In the Kingdom of Forgotten Forest" 2006, che gli varrà un contratto discografico con la label Backfire Prod, "Long Passed Days" 2008, "Mortal Aspirations" 2009, "After" 2010, "Bringer Of Heartsore" 2011 e Transcendence 2012. L'ultima fatica la settima è questa del 2015, "Dark Substance of Dharma", che viaggia su una linea Black Metal con atmosfere suggestive e accattivanti giàpresenti nella prima traccia "Mantra" che sembra più avere l'intenzione di un'intro che si và subito ad agganciare a "Destroyng the seeds of Karma", con una sezione ritmica incalzante che fà da padrona a una sezione di chitarre graffianti. Il ritnmo di "Dark Substance Of Dharma" cambia conla terza traccia dall'omonimo titolo, bella incalzante, convenature trash, speed, che mettono in luce le potenzialità tecniche della band. Una voce in linea, attenta a non uscire dalle righe. "Kali's Hunger" che si trova nella parte centrale del lavoro conferma il ritmo frenetico di questo settimo lavoro, chitarre che si fondono a una sezione ritmica veloce e potente il tutto molto ben amalgamato da un tappeto di synth che fanno da atmosfera. Un andamento sostenuto e incalzante che si terrà anche con i brani "Red Laugh's Walking", "I Am The Black Tara", mentre più melodica e pacata, ma non potrò è l'ultima traccia "Last Moon Fermata" dove i suoni in generali sono più marcati, distinti e melodici anche per il buon lavoro delle tastiere. I "Reventale" hanno confermato quello che di buono hanno fatto fino ad ora e credo non poteva essere diversamente visto il loro ricco bagaglio discografico.
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:28
Review
Aux Portes Du Metal
16/20

S’il ne fallait choisir qu’un groupe pour célébrer la scène Black Metal ukrainienne actuelle, c’est sans aucun doute Raventale que je ferais figurer en haut du palmarès et ce, malgré le retour assez convaincant de Drudkh. Car Astaroth a prouvé avec ses sept albums qu’il avait le sens de la composition et du travail bien fait. Sept albums en dix ans d’existence c’est un bon début, je pense que vous en conviendrez… Et pourtant, Raventale est longtemps resté dans l’ombre. L’arrivée de Dark Substance Of Dharma sera l’album de la réconciliation, je l’espère de tout cœur.

Avec sa pochette indienne représentant la fameuse déesse Kali (vous vous souvenez peut-être de l’interprétation faite par Necros Christos), Dark Substance Of Dharma annonce un album ésotérique et ritualiste. La première piste, Destroying The Seeds Of Karma le confirme avec brio dans un Black Metal aux résonnances atmosphériques et passages doomesques plombant. La voix d’Astaroth est puissante et entrainante (plus nuancée que sur le dernier album), de ces voix qui transportent et imposent une certaine forme de circularité qui ont trait au rituel.


En toile de fond, Raventale esquisse une musique plus ambiante, avec un synthé qui produit des sons de pianos éthérés et autres atmosphères rappelant un univers fantastique et débridé. L’alliance des deux produit un style vraiment particulier, dont seul Astaroth semble en avoir le secret.

Une seule chanson est chantée en russe, Red Laugh's Walking, qui est en fait une reprise d’une piste du groupe de Post-Punk Инструкция по выживанию. Le résultat est intéressant, on ne pourrait qu’inciter Raventale à s’orienter davantage vers ce style.

Au fur et à mesure de l’écoute Dark Substance Of Dharma se fait de plus en plus conceptuel, notamment sur la finale et excellente Last Moon Fermata. L’ambiance est nocturne, lorgnant même un peu vers du Dark Sanctuary qui aurait viré Black Metal. Avouez que ça vous met l’eau à la bouche !

Raventale, toujours aussi constant, continue son petit bonhomme de chemin en nous offrant un album de Black atmosphérique très convaincant, entre tristesse hivernale et sourire vengeur de Kali…

Author: Mythos
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:27
Review
Dead Rhetoric
8.5/10
29.10.2015

The somewhat unheralded Raventale are a Ukraine band that maybe don’t get the love that the other more well-known black metal acts from that country do. And that chaps my hide. Steadily releasing albums since 2006, this melodic black/doom metal band crafted what this writer regards as one of the finest albums that the black/pagan genre has ever seen with the 2012 masterpiece Transcendence. An album that sits along-side my Walknut album in my little Eastern Bloc pagan black metal Hall of Fame.

For their seventh album, Raventale returns with a little twist in theme. Always keeping things mysterious in feel, it’s not much of a stretch to extend into the dark aspects of far eastern mysticism (Hinduism, for example) on this album. Which is what’s been done on Dark Substance of Dharma.

Starting with a killer intro track, deep with magic and mist, ravens and spells – it pulls the listener in from the get-go into the potent brew of muscular-yet-ethereal, atmospheric dark metal (click the link below for proof). “Destroying The Seeds of Karma” progresses with a plodding, banging riffage that calls to mind Nachtmystium, of all bands. A well-developed song, vocalist Astaroth eventually transforms himself into a bit of a Tibetan monk to conclude the track, which lends a real believability to the album theme. And speaking of Astaroth, his vocal delivery across the album is fierce and rich, no clean vocals in this stuff. It also must be mentioned that Astaroth is Raventale. He handles all musical duties for the band. This is a “one-man band” that sure doesn’t seem like it.

Raventale make excellent use of keyboards, employed as that all-important atmosphere enhancer, always lending the music that extra supernatural quality that the band is known for. They shine as background chords underneath the bashing drums and overdriven tremolo guitar chords (which can conjure up some of the better moments of Drudkh’s material).

Standout track, and also the title track of this album comes in third, and starts with that omni-present melody and mood, and explodes into a burly groove which shows Raventale’s propensity to seamlessly blend death, doom and black metals with skyward-reaching vibes. “Kali’s Hunger” shows Raventale at their most furious, a maelstrom of blazing speed and venom. The oddly-named “Red Laugh’s Walking” (hey, English ain’t the native tongue here, OK?) is a serviceable track that keeps the album’s dominant mid-tempos rolling along. “I am the Black Tara” brings a sense of closing glory to the record, lingering with an affective melody – one which could be a closer in it’s own right. But that honor is left to “Last Moon Fermata”- one that begins with pensive piano, and rolls into another slab of catchy, head-bangin’, big-guitar, fat drums, mood-drenched stuff. It’s Raventale, through and through – each song in its place, each song representing the band well. And what the band represents is something special, and something to celebrate.

Author: Daniel Keating
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:26
Review
The Metal Observer
8.5/10
25.10.2015

The Ukraine is home to quite a few black metal and metal acts in general. There has always been a sense of quality from some of the “bigger” acts such as Drudkh or Blood Of Kingu. Quality has also never been much of an issue with one-man act Raventale. With bringing some atmospheric black metal mixed wth some doom as well, the project has been quite busy since its 2005’s formation. After an impressive six full-lengths in seven years, we are now getting treated to the newest album in the Raventale history, Dark Substance Of Dharma out on BadMoodMan Music.

After a pretty brief instrumental opener, the album kicks in full-force. The keys are bright and upfront, while the rest of the music is heavy with plenty of melody with the guitars accenting the keys quite well. The drums end up being the main standout on this new record, with some great groove, flawlessly executed fills and just adding the extra punch to these seven tracks. Not to fall too far behind through, the riffs are also catchy and memorable as well. The final track especially, has one of the better main riffs on the release. Musically there is a decent interplay between the vocals and the instrumentation, with plenty of songs getting to focus on creating their atmosphere through the elongated musical sections. These sections can be repetitious, but create a good hypnotic effect and never seem to outstay their welcome either. Changing at just the right times, and knowing when to push the songs forward these parts stand out as the usual highlight of Dharma. Vocally, the album utilized the same scream over and over, but again, due to the longer instrumental sections, the vocals feel welcome each time they are around and continue to accent the music and bring more emotion to the album.

Each part of this record can be seen as being executed as it needed to be. Astaroth has been churning out Raventale records for ten years and is still able to create some high quality recordings. Dark Substance Of Dharma proves to be an album that can be easily listened to due to a pretty quick run-time, but offers so much that it begs repeat plays over and over. There isn’t a bad track on here and there is something to be found in each song that will take hold of you and get your head banging each time.

Author: Neill Bird
Solitude Productions 15.11.2015, 22:25
Review
Gorger's Metal
10.11.2015

The Ukrainian one man band Raventale has after ten years of existence come to album number eighth.
Main man Astaroth call the style “atmospheric blackened metal”. It's not a bad description, although it only scratches the surface.
With Dark Substance Of Dharma a concept based on Indian and Tibetan mythology is served.
To bother you with my own description, though that might be why you're reading this, Raventale plays quiet and evocative, yet quite heavy and melancholic metal with a nature-friendly touch and kinship to both black/doom and pagan metal.

The man has always been good at treating us with beautiful melodies and moods. He has however not been as good at putting together songs that stand out from his other material. Occasional memorable melodies is not necessarily synonymous with memory friendly songs.
With the different releases he has indeed shown a willingness of development, but most albums have had a fairly monotonous uniform consistency throughout.

I have not heard the two albums After (2010) and Bringer of Heartsore (2011). The sonic difference from the third album, Mortal Aspiration (2009) to Transcendence (2012) was thus like a different world.
Dark Substance Of Dharma continues the trend with rich productions, whereas the earliest albums sounded more thin and naked. It sounds good, and the songs are pleasant and rather mesmerizing.

The mythological theme dives into Dharma's cosmic order and explores principles behind existence and perception, something you certainly can see in the profound lyrics to Red Laugh's Walking. (Okay, that was a joke).

This is a pretty great album to listen to, with high-quality sound, atmosphere and hypnotic abilities, but as before, the weakness lies in the overall picture that becomes a little bit too homogeneous and anonymous in the long run. What grade should then be used on a record that is really great and comfortable right there and then, but that is forgotten about as soon as the last note has faded out?
Let me be the first to admit that many great frantic extreme metal albums also can have such a trait, but I have other expectations of melodic metal.

I've only heard Dark Substance Of Dharma for about four times, and I'm almost enjoying myself more with each time. It's indeed very possible that this album can grow even further, so I'll give the accused the benefit of doubt. Besides, Astaroth does make good and highly listenable music, and in the end that's what counts!
Solitude Productions 12.11.2015, 00:50
Review
About.com
3.5/10
09.10.2015

On their latest album Dark Substance Of Dharma, the Ukrainian band Raventale explore lyrical themes related to Tibetan and Indian mythology.

The album winds its way between mellow atmospheric sections, melodic parts and more extreme moments. The Eastern influence is evident, including mixing in what sounds like Tibetan throat singing alongside the harsh vocals on "Destroying The Seeds Of Karma." They do a good job of mixing dissonance, melody and atmosphere.

Author: Chad Bowar
Solitude Productions 11.08.2015, 01:18
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