Riddle of Meander

End of All Life and Creation

Excesor Christianorum Rex 2007

Another Greek band that sounds distinctly Norwegian, Riddle of Meander delivers on bleak and atmospheric black metal.  The End of All Life and Creation comes across as sort of a cross of early works by Burzum and Dark Midevil Times era Satyricon.  Each song crafts a deep feeling of the cold northern wastes buried in layers of eternal snow.  The occasional folkish influence works its way into the song structure such as the clean guitar on When the Fog Veils and the instrumental Spirit of Sorrow.  But Riddle of Meander's strength is their ability to write memorable and evocative riffs that sound both ancient and filled with an ever-present maliciousness.  For instance the riff at the 3 minute mark of Cursed Are the Weak both increases the song's tempo while at the same time heightening the dismal mood of the song before it fades into oblivion.  Raging Abyss starts off in a similar manner as Burzum material from Det Som Engang Var with a grating mid-tempo guitar passage before kicking off into something more akin to a faster Satyricon riff that soars into the heavens while snow drifts and falls all around.  One "trick" that I love when a band utilizes is when they take a guitar riff and then pick up its speed and intensity while dropping the drums out and Riddle of Meander does this to perfection on Mass Murder at the 2 and a half minute mark and on Conquering the Night Wind at the 2 minute mark.  On this album the guitars are crisp and frozen with the prerequisite background hiss and the vocals are very much reminiscent of Varg though maybe not as screechy and with a heavy dose of delay on them.   Riddle of Meander has turned its back on all musical roots from its Hellenic counterparts in favor of a more Nordic flavored style.  Because of this they are musically more atmospheric and infinitely colder than any of their contemporaries within Greece (save maybe Ravencult).  And in being a band with a foot in both worlds they make a proud tribute to both scenes.  Like the howling of the wolves from When the Fog Veils, Riddle of Meander calls to me from a dark and desolate night.  I shall not return.