VALRAVN – Prey (CD, 2020)

Label: Primitive Reaction – PR057
Format: CD
Country: Finland
Released: December 4th, 2020
Genre: Metal
Style: Black Metal

Valravn’s debut album no doubt displays characteristics of Finland’s now-world-renown black metal sound – cryogenic melody, raw ‘n’ rugged execution, an unapologetic assertion of traditionalism – but in other, more telling aspects, Prey asserts its own identity counter to this prevailing paradigm. From the tranquil, tellingly autumnal acoustic opening and across comparable textures, Prey burns with the intensity of a November coming fire. But Valravn’s just-revealed torch is a timeless one, resonating across all seasons and most especially the dread grasp of winter, as this year comes to a close and Prey readies to spread its wings much like its cover-art subject.