AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: GJALLARHORN’S WRATH — “WICCAN WYRD”

(written by Islander)

On September 5th of this year Non Serviam Records will release The Silver Key, the debut album from the Spanish band Gjallarhorn’s Wrath. It’s a new name, but the group has older roots. Non Serviam provides this background:

Gjallarhorn’s Wrath is an extreme metal band from Barcelona, born from the legacy of Oblivion, an atmospheric black metal act founded in 2001. Oblivion made a strong impact on the Spanish metal scene with their deep exploration of light and darkness. They performed across Spain and toured with Norwegian legends Ancient. Over time, the band members went their separate ways, and the group disbanded. However, the spirit of their music endured.

Years later, the core members reunited with a shared vision to create something even more ambitious. With the addition of vocalist Alex, Lord Ashler moved to bass, Javi Iron returned to handle drums, keys, and composition, and Arash continued as lead guitarist. Together, they formed Gjallarhorn’s Wrath, blending the raw aggression of blackened death metal with the grandeur of orchestral and cinematic elements.

What we’re presenting today is a transfixing video for a sonic spectacle from The Silver Key named “Wiccan Wyrd“, a song that justifies Non Serviam‘s description of this band’s new music.

To fully appreciate what happens in the song you’ll probably need to play the video a second time while blindfolded, simply to listen without watching, because the video commands a lot of attention. It presents a very unsettling dramatic narrative of abuse and retribution, interspersed with an equally attention-seizing presentation of the band performing. So as not to spoil what you’re about to see, that’s all we’ll say about the visuals.

As for the song itself, it is equally dramatic. In its opening phase the music is towering and daunting, massive and foreboding. It heavily stomps and stalks beneath vast swaths of stratospheric sheen, fronted by gargantuan gravel-throated growls.

The ominous tension in the song’s overture breaks open in an assault of furiously rattling drums, viciously churning and roiling riffage, scalding screams, and fiery symphonics. But even in this more intense phase, the music is still dark; there’s a feeling of desperation in the whirring fretwork and massed strings, even as the drums hammer and the low end delivers feverish jolts.

The tempo continues changing, and so do the moods. The music becomes spectral but also explodes in blasting fusillades and high-end turbulence, and the wide-ranging vocals continue fueling the song’s ravaging intensity. The music continuously builds tension and fiercely breaks it open, ultimately reaching heights of terrible grandeur.

Even without the video, it’s the kind of song that sounds like a narrative, like the unfolding of events, cinematic in more ways than one and with a lot of visceral power. Heads will spin and heads will bang.

Non Serviam will release The Silver Key on digipak CD, vinyl LP, and digital formats, and they recommend it for fans of: Mgła, Gaerea, SepticFlesh, Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, Dissection, and Tribulation. Pre-order opportunities will open on July 11th (tomorrow!) via the links below.

PRE-ORDER:
CD: https://www.non-serviam-records.com/products/gjallarhorns-wrath-the-silver-key-digipak
VINYL: https://www.non-serviam-records.com/products/gjallarhorns-wrath-the-silver-key-vinyl
DIGITAL: https://non-serviam-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-silver-key

GJALLARHORN’S WRATH:
https://www.facebook.com/Gjallarhorns.Wrath/
https://www.instagram.com/gjallarhornwrathband