Cales - Chants Of Steel - CD SLIPCASE

CALES is the long-running epic/dark metal project of Petr Hošek: the ineffable Blackosh, or Blackie, from legendary Czech black metallers Root. One of the most talented guitarists and composers of metal music in the Czech Republic, Blackosh's career has largely been defined by his work with the pioneering Root during their beginnings in 1987 all the way through to 2004, but the man's creativity knows no bounds. Even with his selfsame solo work and appearances on records from fellow Root frontman Big Boss as well as a latter-day record from equally legendary Czech cult Master's Hammer and even more recently joining cult legends Nifelheim, Blackosh's most important side-project has always been CALES.

CALES was founded in 1992 on the ruins of a disbanded old-school black metal band called Crux, but the band's sound soon took flight of its own beyond black metal. From the release of 1997's Bonds of Togetherness and prolifically onward over the next decade and a half, the CALES aesthetic reimagined the many ways Bathory's now-beloved Viking period could've gone. That's not to say Blackosh was merely pecking at the corpse of Hammerheart; rather, the latent sensations - triumph, tragedy, and the riddle of steel - were expanded and expounded upon across ever-more-daring compositions that didn't settle neatly into "Viking metal" categorization.

Witness CALES' seventh full-length, Chants of Steel. Originally released on limited cassette later last year, Chants of Steel is good on its word: the eight-song/39-minute album is a travelogue across an ancient battlefield, full of the bathos and bravura that Blackosh has made his name. Frequently raging and always passionate, CALES here make epicness a compact affair, plainly stating their intent with aggressive zeal and then allowing the rough-yet-melodic riffing to lead the listener into the fray. As ever, Blackosh's likewise-rough-yet-melodic (and Quorthon-esque) tenor lends a loveable poignancy to proceedings, and he's joined by a number of notable guests: the aforementioned Big Boss, Nifelheim's Hellbutcher, and even his daughter provides chants. Solemn yet still invigorating, CALES continue to occupy unique territory with Chants of Steel.

TRACKLIST:
01 – Black Riders
02 – Roar of Stormy Chase
03 – Hordes of Thunder
04 - Prophetic Ash
05 – Hall of Death
06 – Chants of Steel
07 – The Mighty Roar
08 – Only One Dark Abyss
09 – Return Paths