Stormruler is ready to drop one of the best black metal albums of the year.
Arriving tomorrow via Napalm Records, Under the Burning Eclipse is an absolute masterstroke of raging and melodic fury, all the more impressive as it’s the band’s debut. The songwriting duo of Jesse Schobel and Jason Asberry have painted a sonic picture with every stroke carefully executed and every shade of black in its right place. The energetic, almost heroic sound on Under the Burning Eclipse is clearly modeled after the Swedish masters of the 1990s, particularly bands like Setherial (Nord-era, of course), Naglfar, and especially Dawn. At the same time, Stormruler clearly adds some of their own unique colors to the canvas, with some flashy solo work and unexpected riff-variations thrown in as well (the title track is a good example).
Here’s how the band put it to us:
“We had one mission upon forming Stormruler, and that was to write a blistering black metal record from the harvest of our influences. We combined everything we loved about black metal from the imperial war-like grind to the more epic Summoning-inspired marches, and I believe we accomplished exactly what we were set out to do. We took our time to create the perfect record and it took no time for Napalm records to discover Stormruler and we are honored by it. We are now ready to release this beast!”
Mission accomplished, boys. Your album totally rules. The riff work is fantastic, the rhythms frame the songs perfectly. and those vocals are absolutely scorching. As a fun bonus, go watch the video for “Reign of the Winged Duke,” and watch everyone in the comments totally thrown by how they expected power metal instead of black metal!
(Note: The band also let us know about their upcoming livestream show, scheduled for tomorrow at 3PM EDT via Black Metal Promotions. So be sure to check that out after blasting the album below!)
