What could you do if you can’t get enough of Master of Reality & Vol. IV but, after playing them time and again and getting to know by heart every riff and word, you still want to push the boundaries of that strange and marvelous universe by exploring further? The answer is obvious: let Count Raven show you the way and proceed with Destruction of the Void and High on Infinity.
Founded in 1989, Count Raven proved right from the start to be a force to be reckoned with in the European traditional doom metal scene, comparable in terms of originality and creativity only with fellow Swedish doomsters Candlemass and Britain’s Cathedral. Maybe less known to the general metal public than above mentioned bands, 30 years and five outstanding albums later they still maintain a strong cult following among doom aficionados. One chapter of that cult was particularly strong in Romania through the ’90s, when bootleg tapes (you couldn’t get them in any other form) of band’s albums were much sought after. Some of us, one could say, have been waiting for over 25 years to see them perform here. So, yeah, some dreams really seem to come true.
Count Raven’s first album, Storm Warning, featured one of the great voices of doom – Christian Linderson (Saint Vitus, Terra Firma, Lord Vicar, Goatess) -, but then vocal duties were taken over by mastermind Dan “Fodde” Fondelius (also guitars and keyboards), which proved to be an excellent choice, as the next two aforementioned albums were going to become classics. The music builds on the foundation established by the Sabbath forefathers with simple, slow and awesome riffs and, while staying true in form and spirit to the legend, it creates a whole different beast. It’s also worth mentioning that the strong message of the lyrics is another thing that sets the band apart: denouncing the darkness that surrounds us in this world but always urging to keep our hope alive. Quite a beacon in a doom scene usually drown in hopelessness.
Our second addition, Witchunter, have become quite the household name in live shows all over their native Italy, and beyond. With two excellent albums under their belt already, the Italians endlessly profess their love for the NWOBHM genre, with their brand of energetic heavy/speed metal very much influenced by the likes of Tank, Jaguar and, obviously, Motörhead. Their first show on Romanian soil is something not to be missed.
OLD GRAVE FEST 8, 11-12 October 2019, club Fabrica, Bucharest. More bands TBA.
Get you two day tickets for 150 RON/32 EUR here: http://www.rtmc.ro/tickets/ and www.iabilet.ro