Review: Byyrth – Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood

Byyrth Echoes from the Seven Caves of Blood
Iron Bonehead productions

Serious Raw Black

It has been quite some time since I’ve heard raw production like what is present on this album. It has also been a long time since I’ve heard that raw style of production been exemplified so well. I really like the raw sound on the older Darkthrone albums or Burzums debut. But this beast from Byyrth gives a new meaning to raw riffing in black metal. It gives a vastly different flavor in comparison to songs like Darkthrones “Quintessence” with the first song on the album Blood Warfare opening softly, but quickly progressing into dissonant heavy metal style riffing that is soaring over the vocals and drum tracks, which are buried in the mix.

On the topic of the variety that is present on the album. I find that the aspects of both intros and outros for specific songs on the album to really bolster its sound; similarly, the lack of typical song structure present in modern music really helps emphasize the instrumentation around the screeching vocal style. This album; incorporating these ideas, really sets itself apart from the typical raw black metal I am personally used to, and I really like it.

There are also some tracks that reminisce of blackened dark ambient work with watered down and distorted riffing. These aspects of watered down riffing show themselves pretty clearly on the albums cooperation tracks with Meyhnach. Some might disagree; but I think the 4th track on the album is borderline dark ambient, with so much distortion, drum tracks that are so buried in the mix I can barely even hear them, and the incessant and beat less screams combined with the clear leftover reverb from the instrumentation that flows off at the end of the track. Those musical elements make the track feel like dark ambient to me. Also, the evil soundscape with a name like “Abhorrent Eons” makes it hard to imagine its portraying anything else!

I think the overall construction of the album is perfect, it starts off fast and heavy. It lets the audience know right away it means business. Then it cascades throughout very distorted black metal tracks into what I perceive as the climax of the album: “Cry Of The Wurdelak”. With an extremely memorable introduction riff, and the sobs and cries of anguish slammed to the back of the mix that begin to sound more and more miserable as the track progresses. Ending on a reverberated scream into the silence.

This album is beautifully composed, the more I listen to it the more I love it. The introduction riffs on most tracks and the faster riffing with the under-produced drum and vocal tracks all blend together to form some very intelligently composed and well written raw black metal. The aspects of varying riffing throughout singular tracks makes it very fun to listen to, as the listener gets many different flavors of skill and prowess from all of the instrumentation; which I; personally, very much enjoy.

95/100 for sure. I think that if it were produced with the vocals and drums just ever so slightly louder in the mix it would be a 100%. As the album has everything else you’d want to hear from a raw black metal album. Very intelligently composed riffing, raw production without being sloppy on the instrumentation, and a clear research and understanding of necessary dissonance and stylistic decisions considered prevalent in the black metal scene. Great album.