BLACKBRAID : "BLACKBRAID III"

This project improves with each album. Sgah knows he has to, as the novelty of being a Native American black metal project will only carry him so far. There is less of the folk/ native instrumentation on the opening track, which sounds like generic black metal with big production so it could be 1349 or it could be Taake, but the band, however, does this sort of thing better, so he might be better off leading with his tomahawk."Wardrums at Dawn..."  could be filler on an Immortal album. The deliberate gallop on this song sounds good, but brings nothing new to the table. The blast beats prove that he wants to be black metal, and he might fool some into thinking he is, but this album does not feel dark; it feels like all the right notes were played with no real darkness poured into the playing. Surprisingly, as his heritage brought him alcoholism, which has caused issues in the past, you think that would bring an inner struggle he could tap into to be more convincing. 

By the third song every everything is starting to sound the same. Before the eighth minute of the third song comes to an end, I am beginning to get bored with this album already. There a moments like a western tinged guitar playing an interlude that is nothing we have not already heard a band like Wayfarer do better.  "God of Black Blood" has the most sinister throb so far, but while an improvement is not anything new that he should receive any more press about it than any other black metal band. Compositionally, simply adding a clean guitar tone here and there hardly breaks the mold. Nameless Ghoul Randy Moore plays the solo on this song. 

An acoustic guitar and wooden flute come out for "Traversing the Forest of Eternal Dusk". Not the best Randy Rhodes impersonation we have heard.  "Tears of Dawn" lashing out with a more rapid-fire attack. The vocals seem to occupy a larger space in the mix this time around. It's more Immortal worship at the end of the day, I guess he likes that their videos are shot on mountains and in forests. Midway into this one, there is an impressive gallop as it sounds big, but otherwise, nothing new here. The same commentary could be stated regarding "And He Became the Burning Stars". Improved guitar solo and more purposeful riffing help it stand marginally apart from the previous song, and it might be the album's best song, which is a low bar.  

The last song is a cover of Lord Belial's "Fleshbound", which is a more obscure pick that I can appreciate, a much better choice than a more obvious Bathory or Venom cover. I would have also been up for a Dissection cover, as I can hear the influence buried in his playing as well. It carries a more old-school, authoritative march, which this album needed. He pulls it off well, though how much credit can someone get for covering a song they are executing well, but not making their own in the studio, live is another thing.  I will give this album an 8.5, which means he made the album he wanted to and is a capable musician , though this is nothing new, yet it feels a little darker than the previous album, so if you were into that album, this one will not disappoint you. 

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