Astray Valley – Midnight Sun
Release Date: 1st December 2023
Label: Art Gates Records
Order
Genre: Metal, Alternative Metal, Metalcore.
FFO: Infected Rain, Jinjer, Seas on the Moon, Arwen, Another Kind.
Review By: Mark Waight
Catalonian band Astray Valley were formed in Barcelona during 2015 and are well known for their use of mystical and dark musical stories. After releasing their debut album “Unneth” in 2018 Astray Valley went on to produce darker, more mature and ambitious work in the form of an EP “Tales of Lun” in 2020 which they proceeded to take on tour.
“Midnight Sun” is Astray Valley’s second full album and latest project, where the aim is for them to continue to push the musical boundaries and further amaze their audience. For my part, I believe they have succeeded.
Astray Valley is Clau Violette (vocals and screams), Joan ‘Vena’ Moreno (guitars), Adria ‘Funerailles’ Vargas (guitars), Alex Albano (bass) and Unai Splinters (drums).
Opening track Darkest Times kicks us off with a boom! This song fuses deathly screams, heavy pounding riffs and slick drumming. The occasional melodic vocal adds a great contrast, giving the track plenty of memorable moments!
Neon Misery has modern metal written all over it. It’s a head spinning cocktail of cleaner vocals, industrial sounds with just a hint of something a little more eastern in the mix. Threads of sorrow and misery run deeply through Your Skin, which has a very dark edge to it. The quieter passages are brilliantly executed as they allow the tension to increase perfectly to the more explosive parts.
Pray for the Devil (subject matter aside) is a touch of a lighter tune with a catchy sing-along chorus and where the subtle but wailing infused guitars add further to the enjoyment. Very nice indeed!
The Hunger continues in much the same vein, as we are served something of a more alternative nature with a more widespread appeal. These are the sort of songs that will bring in new followers to the Astray Valley fold. Back on familiar territory, The Storm pulls us right back down into the abyss with detuned riffs, heavy thumping bass and guttural screams delivering the knockout blow to anything that has gone before. Glorious and gloomy!
Days are Fading is a lovely song where Astray Valley skilfully conjure the image of a coming darkness in your mind. The vocals are sweetly haunting, and a superb band performance helps to produce a musically stunning and thoroughly outstanding composition.
Curtain closer When the Sun Goes Down is the perfect closing to Midnight Sun as you are taken through a rendition of Astray Valleys capabilities. All the ingredients are there to prompt you into hitting that repeat button! Thunderous riffs, visceral screams, well-placed melody, pace and tempo switch-ups…need I say more?
Astray Valley is a recent addition to my playlist with them only just coming to my attention with the release of Pray for the Devil as a single, but they are sure to be a firm fixture on it in the future. Midnight Sun is a cool album and well worth checking out as there is plenty there for everyone to enjoy, so give it a spin. Recommended!
(4 / 5)
