Bloody Valkyria – In Our Home, Across the Fog
Release Date: 4th April 2025
Label: Northern Silence Productions
Bandcamp
Genre: Epic Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Symphonic Black Metal, Power Metal, Folk.
FFO: SAOR, Dwarrowdelf, Aquilus, Belore, Cân Bardd.
Review By: Rick Farley
“From the ruins of fallen kingdoms, the one-man army known as Bloody Valkyria ascends to new heights with its second album, In Our Home, Across the Fog. This chapter in the band’s discography entwines the epic lore of Elden Ring with the aggressive beauty of extreme metal.”
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jere Kervinen is the sole mastermind behind the Finnish black metal powerhouse Bloody Valkyria. Formed of a sprawling universe that engulfs icy black metal with soaring melody, otherworldly atmosphere, epic heavy metal compositions and folksy elements all into one melting pot of magnificent grandeur. Brutality meets vivid beauty in an immersive blend of journey filled lore and dramatic musical intensity. After only releasing their debut Kingdom in Fire in 2024, it’s a little surprising that In Our Home, Across the Fog is coming so quickly. Does it stack up?
Setting the darkened tone is album opener The Fallen Leaves Tell a Story with swaying tremolo picked melodies that sear with ice-cold vigour. The track is mystical, while still allowing the raw black metal to shine through. The vocals are a cross between screechy and growling, directly opposing the more melodic parts, which gives a contrast that is dynamically satisfying as well as tranquilizing.
Tale of House Hoslow begins achingly beautiful with a soft piano passage and swelling synths in the background. Its melancholy evokes great sadness, pulling the listener in emotionally. Metallically, it strikes quickly with crushing guitars but retains the dejected melody set beforehand. The magical Finnish doomy atmosphere reveals itself for waves of ethereal gloominess. Midway through, a heavy metal flavoured riff pushes into a militant double bass, while a blistering lead weaves virtuosically in the forefront. The track ends just as it started, with the same piano passage drifting off into nothingness.
The folky playfulness at the beginning of From Stromveil to Liurnia has a medieval flair about it. As the song jumps into distorted guitars, its Finnish roots shine through, reminding a lot of melodic death metallers Insomnium, complete with spoken word vocals and similar melodies structures. While May Chaos Take the World begins extremely sombre, with acoustic lead melodies over symphonic instrumentation, and then erupts to fast galloping riffs and synthy backgrounds. Sitting at a 12:43 runtime, this song takes several different paths musically, directing the journey from realm to realm of emotive depth, danger, epic battles, and layered heights.
The songwriting and instrumentation as well as the production was handled solely by Kervinen at Moonless Home Studio. Mastering is credited to Jarno Hänninen at D-Studio. The record sounds huge, with awe-inspiring clarity. It’s lacking in the low-end department offering little to no booming foundation, the bass is clearly there but a little more audible, and it would have really set the heaviness off. However, this is black metal after all, so it could be a purposeful choice. Icy sharp guitar tones with all instrumentation coming through clearly, and mammoth atmosphere makes up for the lack of warmth. The synths do add a little oomph to everything as well.
In Our Home, Across the Fog is nothing short of a dark yet enchanting, cinematic, extreme metal showcase that transcends genres into spiritual, ethereal, epically purported soundscapes full of warring legions, fantastical worlds, and the shadowy lore of Elden Ring. It may be too over the top for casual black metal fans, but if you like the combination of heavy metal tinged black metal, with huge symphonic, folky elements, set in a massive world of mystery and majesty, this is for you.
(4 / 5)
