Dutch symphonic-alternative metal band Blackbriar are releasing their sophomore album, A Dark Euphony, this Friday (29th) via Nuclear Blast. With it, the band continues their nearly 12-year musical adventure, in which they have built a fascinating symmetrical combination of symphonic and alternative metal elements along with an aesthetic imagery that comes straight from the darkest alley of Halloween town.
A Dark Euphony is a torrent of haunting metal riffs intertwined within a tornado of heartfelt lyricism. Unwelcome Guest, the powerful opening track, grabs you like a spider grabs an uninvited fly to their cobweb, eating you alive as the song progresses and reminding you that there are days when the goblin in your mind can sit in your chest and makes you feel like you’re about to see the white light beyond. Far Distant Land has a more folky tune that is pretty interesting and offers a variety to the record following the opening song. Spirit Of Forgetfulness has a more dramatic influence on the record; it is bombastic, loud, and rather magnificent; it is an entertaining and brighter track than the rest.
Bloody Footprints In The Snow is a song that reflects on Zora’s vocal power to bend notes to her very well and simultaneously delivers head-banging guitar licks. The Evergreen and Weeping Tree is an agonizing melodic track that is just a dark symphonic delight that reflects a push-and-pull battle between Zora’s voice and Ruben’s keys. Cicada is my favorite tune from A Dark Euphony; the melody, raw force, and overstimulation of feelings that this song can unleash on you are just the dark cherry on top of this wonderful record. My Soul’s Demise is a beautifully crafted hymn about the fair question of love and sin carrying, something that left me thinking for a couple of days after I first listened to the lyrics.
Forever and a Day is a beautiful song that snatches your spirit and transports it to a grand Victorian salon to make you dance before wrapping you in Bart’s tempestuous guitar solo, an incredible composition that everyone should look forward to seeing live on stage at some point. Crimson Faces, a frightening track that just strikes the 11 nail in the coffin that seals your soul into the dark woodland this album seems to be, brings A Dark Euphony to a beautiful conclusion. I don’t know if creating dark symphonies is a Dutch national sport. Still, Blackblair definitely shows with A Dark Euphony that they are the contemporary torchbearers in that category.
Track List:
01) An Unwelcome Guest
02)Far Distant Land
03. Spirit of Forgetfulness
04. Bloody Footprints in the Snow
05. The Evergreen and The Weeping Tree
06. Cicada
07) My Soul’s Demise
08) We Make Mist
09) Thumbelina
10) Forever and a Day
11) Crimson Faces
You can catch Blackbriar on the road as they are part of the Euphonic Downfall Tour 2023′ with Ad Infinitum, supported by Phantom Elite.
Tour Dates – tickets available here:
09/26 DE Saarbrucken @ Garage
09/27 DE Munich @ Backstage
09/28 NL Utrecht @ Tivoli
09/29 NL Heerlen @ Nieuwe Nor
09/30 DE Oberhausen @ Resonanzwerk (+)
10/02 DE Hamburg @ Logo
10/03 DE Leipzig @ Hellraiser
10/05 DE Aschaffenburg @ Colos-Saal
10/06 CH Solothurn @ Kofmehl (*)
10/07 CH Schaffhausen @ Kammgarn (*)
(+) festival
(*) plus opener – INFINITAS
Blackbriar Lineup:
Zora Cock – vocals
René Boxem – drums
Bart Winters – guitars
Robin Koezen – guitars
Siebe Sol Sijpkens – bass
Ruben Wijga – keys
