A LAND BEYOND THE SEA – Weltenwanderer

A Land Beyond the Sea is a very interesting band hailing from Finland, and I’ll be the first to admit that I had never heard about them prior to getting my filthy paws on this excellent 4-track EP of theirs. Stylistically and musically speaking, I would say that "Weltenwanderer", which contains 32 minutes of muisic, is rooted in melodic and yet very aggressive and intense black metal. There is a lot of variation and a lot of dynamics in play on this disc, and the band sure knows how to keep things interesting and unpredictable. The riffs and melodies are generally really good and catchy, but certain parts do require a lot of spins before they really start to sink in, which is only a good thing. Challenging the listener ain’t always a bad idea unless you’re a geeky prog-loving virgin wanting to show the world just how technically adept you are, but I digress, because A Land Beyond the Sea are most definitely not musical wankers. Anyway, back to "Weltenwanderer". The EP as a whole is moody and atmospheric while the musicianship is excellent. I would have preferred a bit more varied vocals in places, but "Seafarer" utilizes a few different vocal-like types and so does "I.N.R.I. Conqueror", which is very cool, but I would have liked some more of that. I really like the mellow and melancholic parts as well as the sound effects that creep in from time to time as they underline the epic and at times melancholic feel of the songs.

Overall, I strongly recommend fans of black metal to check out "Weltenwanderer". Like I said earlier on, it does require a few spins before everything kind of reveals itself and falls into place due to the many layers and twist and turns here and there, but this is great music to listen to when the mood calls for something like this. Recommended for sure.

http://albts.bandcamp.com/album/weltenwanderer