Review: “Myrewood” by Chronicler of Ardul

Adorned by artwork from Maxwell Aston the debut EP “Myrewood” by Chronicler of Ardul surfaced in November 2023. The follow up to stand alone debut single “Awakening” it finds multi instrumentalist, lyricist and producer David Williams joined by session vocalist Thomas Blanc of Zombestial fame in the creation of Symphonic Death Metal with Williams confessing to a love of Metal music, dark fantasy and storytelling. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Song writing and Producing from Berklee Online and is putting it to good use…

Nothing can truly prepare you for the theatrical qualities interwoven with the brutal Death Metal onslaught of “The Cymryd“, the guitars, drums and vocals having a raw and unpolished quality to them that is a juxtaposition for the orchestrations in the most unexpected of ways. Blanc’s vocals are hideous; he’s the demonic serial killer of a frontman that Extreme Metal bands from all around the globe worship and his range is seriously impressive. When coupled with the not so crisp and clean drum sound and the urgent riff abrasions, you have everything you could possibly want and more. There is an almost unpredictable quality to this one as unexpected moments pop out of the mix like a razor sharp riff or a powerful burst of blast beats, just when your brain fooled you into thinking it was going to slow down and level out. There is a Burn The Priest style riff under the weight of orchestration as “To Death We Will March” comes to life, Blanc offering up pieces of an almost  unhinged cleaner vocal that make him sound like he’s running from the demons within. Arguably as close as this project gets to a sing-a-long chorus due to it’s very nature, it’s a nice touch wrapped in pure evil and punchy guitars.

If you can picture a Death Metal vocalist sipping whiskey in a smoking jacket in a Jazz club while offering throaty death growls in accompaniment to a piano then you’ve got an idea of what the 90 second instruction to “The Corruption” is like. Naturally that bursts into flames with riffs and percussion shortly there after, the majestic orchestration providing a cinematic quality that is absolutely astounding. There is an almost blackened quality to this one as well as an avant-garde one as Williams pushes the boundaries of what he is capable of as a writer and composer but somehow he is able to get it all to hold together perfectly. Matching the nightmarish vocals with thunderous drums, bombastic bass and urgent riffs “The Resurgence” is another enthralling chapter in this page turning tale, simply too hot to handle. A white heat of intense atmosphere, this towering inferno of Symphonic Death Metal is an unstoppable force that only fades into delicate macabre piano in fitting conclusion. It’s going to take an army of musicians to perform these songs live as it seams that a Pandora’s box of ideas has been smashed open with this one [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Cymryd
2. To Death We Will March
3. The Corruption
4. The Resurgence

“Myrewood” by Chronicler of Ardul was released on 17th November 2023 and is available over at bandcamp