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.