Label: Pest Productions
Origin: Singapore
Welkin, the one-man band helmed by 16 year old (!) master Hasthur, is a castle built with every nut and bolt from the toolbox of Scandanavian Black Metal bands of old, yet polished with purified acid and tightened by the icy hand of Satan Himself. Recollections of Conquest and Honour pumps up the militia of Welkin‘s self-titled demo with a salivating medieval army chomping at the bit.
Just as an intrepid knight enters a battle arena with sword drawn, first track “The Thalassic Path to the New World” and closing track “Farewell” open fire with the mightiest black metal weapon: the sweltering guitar. Emblazoned strings battle through the first few minutes alone, until collected and composed drums materialize to provide cover. Guitar tones are bleak and riddled with flames, and melodic foreboding chords resonate for twice as long as those of contemporary acts, completely saturating the air with poisonous intent. These sections are slow and deliberate: indeed, throughout the album, Hasthur retains control of his formidable arsenal with the studied expertise of a veteran performer. Perhaps even more impressive is the general attention to song composition: where many artists would employ the drum machine as a bludgeon to blast-beat the living hell out of each track, Welkin commands the blasts sparingly, using them only to enhance the shining guitars and vocals. Upon cresting the hill of the battlefield, a galloping collection of riffs carries the knight into the foray of warfare to combine forces with Hasthur’s anguished and spine-chilling shrieks.
This Gorgoroth-inspired spume is spread with unsettling continuity, dominating the background music and petrifying the listener at knife point until it subsides. Track four, “Upon the Starlit Highlands,” is coated in this delectable filth. The noble steed of divine commitment is represented by epic chord progressions and head-banging drum beats, delivering Hasthur and his murderous growls to the slaughter. Near the end of the track, a lone guitar riff nearly obscures a faint chorus of background pleas, beckoning listeners to lean in for hope of hearing them, before they are ambushed in a coup de grâce of aural assault.
While much of Recollections of Conquest and Honour follows the roadmap of classic black metal, there are a surprising number of twists and turns that deviate from the weathered extreme metal path. These joy-rides away from convention are highlighted on track five, “War.Victory.Honour.” Behind the unwavering front of powerful riffs and tortured vocals, a soundtrack of sharpening swords and rustling chains lurks, waiting for musical respite before the steel is unsheathed. Guitar progressions then subtly shift anachronistically to a haunted rendition of the 007 theme, before the background battle resumes and Hasthur’s cries carry this track to ultimate victory.
Conquest (7:47 - 16:29) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxQptPtkxPI
Standout track, “Conquest,” embodies the full confidence and sanctity of the knight depicted on the album cover. This work, an engraving titled Knight, Death and the Devil (German: Ritter, Tod und Teufel), was created by Albrecht Dürer just as the Middle Ages came to a close, in 1513. In this image, the titular knight defiantly rides his horse through the onlooking spectres of a goat-like demon and Death Himself. It has been interpreted by many, and used across history in countless political movements: it is undoubtedly one of Dürer’s most influential works. In this track, the progressions of chords feel almost upbeat, and the melodic dueling guitars mimic the knight’s god-given quest. Hasthur’s vocals carry the hero to glory just as the Valkyries accompany slain warriors to Valhalla. Piercing solos fly higher still, emitting late-era Dissection energy and spirit, before crashing to a halt, and allowing the remainder of the heroic track to fade away.
Welkin has blended medieval spirit with ravishing extreme metal majesty, to create a uniquely grim debut full-length album. Recollections of Conquest and Honour is a crenelated homage to Scandanavian Black Metal that embraces demonic divinity and meticulous production quality, and rejects complacent creation. At only 16 years of age, Hasthur has raised his flag along with those of the legends from which Welkin draws inspiration, and leaves the ravenous listener hungry for more.
FFO: Gorgoroth, Behexen, Baptism, Dissection
Of interest: “Hastur” is known as “The Feaster from Afar: A black, shriveled, flying monstrosity with tentacles tipped with razor-sharp talons that can pierce a victim’s skull and siphon out the brain,” according to Wikipedia.