Denver’s Stormkeep turned head with their 2020 debut EP, Galdrum and full-length debut Tales Of Othertime cements them as a serious force in melodic black metal. Take early Emperor, Dissection, and Sacramentum, sprinkle in some dungeon crawling synth with power metal sensibilities and out comes Stormkeep.

Stormkeep understand it’s all about the riffs and they balance hard-hitting, melodic guitar work with atmospheric keys and synth work, and they’re not afraid to let the synth do work – especially in the instrumental, “The Citadel”. Vocalist Otheyn Vermithrax shrieks his way to victory, but clean vocals are also interspersed throughout the 43 minute onslaught. Standing at six tracks, the crown jewel is the 11 minute “A Journey Through Storms”, an appropriate title that segues through breathtaking guitar work, a folksy interlude, followed by an epic, smoldering close. The use of acoustics is brilliantly used to add a dismal, brooding atmosphere.

Lyrics revolve around ancient legends and mythical times which falls right in line with that daunting artwork. The songs are their own adventures with three other tracks besides the mammoth “A Journey Through Storms” exceeding 8 minutes. The drumming ferociously attacks with blastbeats while also showing a proficient technicality. The bass could use a bump in the mix, but that’s a small complaint. The main focus are these guys are talented and can construct memorable tunes. While being influenced from those aforementioned black metal legends, they are unique have their own sound. It was a smart move to use the shorter instrumentals (“The Citadel” and “An Ode To Dragons”) as a palate cleanser to build atmosphere and ready the listener for the longer, blistering tracks.   

Be sure to pick this one up – you will not be disappointed.