### Mistweaver: Tales from the grave

#### 31/05/10 || revenant

I have to admit that whenever I see a band classified as melodic death metal, I usually regard this as a determent rather than something that would encourage me to listen. Some bands tend of get over excited with melody, slow down their pace, trade their testicles for ovaries and remove all aggression from their music. All I can say is thank fuck Mistweaver did not go down that path.

“Tales from the grave” is Mistweaver’s fourth full length release, and it’s one that’s been a long time coming. Though the album was completed in May 2008, these poor Spanish fuckers have had trouble finding a label to release it on. I have to admit I am mystified as to why, this is quality shit and sure as hell beats the arse of a lot of music out there, so it’s good to see this project finally come to life.

The album itself starts out with a mood piece that is almost scary enough to make you soil your pants. Almost. Then the metal proper kicks in. The music Mistweaver produces here is an excellent mix of melody and aggression. The songs are well written, and progression between the melody and aggression is well delivered. The riffs are excellent throughout with only one exception (the opening riffs to “May God Deliver Death”), and on the whole well played.

Mistweaver also incorporate keyboards within the music which, for the most part, provide additional atmosphere to back the music and work really well within the tracks themselves. There are times, though, when the keyboards tend to get drowned out in the mix. At other times their presence seems to be completely unnecessary because the riffing alone is enough to carry the music forward. These, however, are only minor quibbles, as for the most part the keyboards are well placed.

As you can undoubtedly tell from my positive comments, I really enjoyed this album. I would suggest in future the band try to be a little more original in choosing songs titles and imagery, but who the hell cares? Zombies bursting from their graves are cool. This is good stuff for sure, something I’d definitely recommend to those who dig melodic death metal but are not complete pussies.

Finally, to the band themselves, I say felicitaciones, muy buen trabajo.

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Casket Music
- Website: www.mistweaver.net
- Band
- Raúl Puente Tobalina: vocals, guitars
- Eduardo Alonso Santos: guitars
- David De Pedro Mediavilla: bass
- Eduardo Navazo: keyboards
- Guillermo Blanco Velasco: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Fairytale (Intro)
- 02. Sons Of Darkness
- 03. Another Endless Night
- 04. Siren Of The Hellish Seas
- 05. The Pestilence
- 06. May God Deliver Death
- 07. Voices From The Grave
- 08. Smell Of Death
- 09. A New Vision Of The Apocalypse
- 10. Into The Realms Of The Dead
- 11. 666, The Call
- 12. Through The Gate Of Timeless Departure
- 13. A Madman’s Epitaph