Gwynbleidd

Creating juxtaposition between "good" and "evil" in black metal often means that melodies occasionally get bogged down with badly executed vocals, and while Gwynbleidd's Nostalgia is a fantastic album, it's in danger of this. The New York quartet (by way of Poland) favour beautiful, sweeping landscapes of melody with rough edges, blending bombastic guitar passages with thoughtful acoustic interludes. "Adrift" offers not so great rough vocals from guitarist Maciej, which, at times, like on "Egress" and ten-minute opener "Nostalgia," mar what could be considered perfectly executed songs. On "Stormcalling," the vocals are sparingly applied, leaving room to create an epic piece of music, and on "Stare Into the Sun," the band, wearing their penchant for folk (and Opeth) on their sleeve, totally kicks ass. It's not so prog that you're shaking your head in confusion but is inventive enough to make it interesting and unique.