Hail Templars! I offer you my review of “It All Turns To Ashes” by Swedish Black Metal-ers GRIEF OF EMERALD, an intensely brutal and whiplash inducing release that demands your attention, and easily captures it.
GRIEF OF EMERALD has been trashing about the business since 1995, and it’s a shame I’ve only recently be introduced to them. Their work on “It All Turns To Ashes” is damn good, and really carries on the tradition of this genre. Jonny’s vocals are brutal and rhythmically violent, but retain their tone. Andreas Hedström’s backing vocals create an underworld atmosphere in the music, while his bass slams through each riff like a sledgehammer goes through a cinder block. Johan Havås’s keyboards a brooding and yet intricate, while the guitars and drums assault your ears with their bludgeoning scales and riff work. I definitely find this release a better record than “The Devils Deep”. The vocals are higher quality, and the overall tone was taken up a notch.
Really check out “Cage Of Pain”, and “When Silence Became Eternal”, two especially brutal songs that really caught my attention. As for a rating, I’d say 8 out of 10. Damn good album that deserves a lot of respect. As always, stay well, and live free my friends! Cheers!
Tracklist:
1. And Yes It Moves 2. God Of Carnage 3. Where Tears Are Born 4. It All Turns To Ashes 5. Cage Of Pain 6. When Silence Became Eternal 7. Warstorms 8. Stormlegion (Warstorms Part II) 9. The Third Eclipse
Lineup:
Andreas Hedström - Bass / Backing Vocals Carl Karlsson - Drums Christer Bergqvist - Guitars Johan Havås - Keyboards Jonny Letho - Guitars / Vocals