Velm: Orkan (2015)

I just covered Velm yesterday, so this post might be somewhat short.  The fact is that the band did not change up the formula from their debut full-length all that much, so there is not really a ton to talk about here without repeating myself a lot.  That is something I would prefer not to do as much as possible.

To date, this is Velm's last release.  I do not know whether the duo has broken up, but the fact remains that they were somewhat active from 2012 to 2015, releasing at least one recording, but more often two, each year.  And they have not released anything since.  So it is quite likely that Velm is done. 

If that is true, they released their best album last.  All of the high points from their debut are here and expanded upon.  The band even fixes a couple of the detracting elements from the debut.  For instance, while the band continues to have keyboard-driven instrumental tracks, they are fewer and are mixed in with the traditional black metal tracks instead of comprising the second half of the album.  Some of the vocals are performed in a clean, melodic style, contrasting sharply with the black metal rasp.  The effect is something similar to what ICS Vortex brought to Dimmu Borgir.  Finally, the penultimate track "Song of Autumn" is simply incredible, effectively mixing the keyboard melodies with the more typical black metal style.  This is what the band was capable of all this time.  This is what I was hoping for.

If this is indeed the last of Velm, they went out on a high note.  They reached their potential on this album, even if it was just for one track.