Auld Ridge
“Folklore from Further Out” (The Hermetic Order of Ytene, 2023)

It is not easy to describe what Auld Ridge is. Well, it is Black Metal in essence, of that we are certain; however, O.W.G.A.’s music carries so much weight, so many emotions, so much more with it, that simply calling it Black Metal sounds… basic and a depreciation of the Artist’s craft. Auld Ridge is what I picture rural Britain to sound if it was a Black Metal project: Dark, Rustic, Forlorn, Harsh, and yet, Beautiful. O.W.G.A.’S music is all that. A beautifully harsh vision of bucolic locations. His voice is the exaltation of millions of emotions, scattered throughout the plain and by the river. This rural and rustic painting flashes before my eyes and hypnotizes.

The emotions, oh the emotions. Very few bands are able to provoke such piercing emotions; Primordial is one of the few I can think of, and they flash the same image as does Auld Ridge. Heritage and Black Metal are two things that live closely together. The Folk details in his Art do take us back to when Black Metal and Folk - of any kind - were one. The Ulver melodies and Folk ventures, for example, are a great example of such, and the melodies we have present are immensely overwhelming. Auld Ridge is not, in any way, a copy of what Ulver was, simply creating a parallel between creations and outcomes.

Auld Ridge is also Nature and Energy. His music lights paths and guides minds. Over-complicated, perhaps; nonetheless, this release is as Dark as it is Light. There is a vein of experimentation, a very solid Black Metal basis (“An Omen to Death Heralds the Season” is a clear Black Metal track, homage to the Past and strongly setting foot in contemporary sonorities. Auld Ridge reminds me of Omitir. Well, not exactly sound-wise, but the core of the projects is very enrooted in traditions and folklore, and that passes on into the Music, of course. And let us not forget that Albionic Hermetism - and the label The Hermetic Order of Ytene - was born from the mind of this man, which shines a light on why his work is so special and distinct from many others. The number of influences, and the importance of such, helps structure the Art he crafts, and the layers are so many we cannot feel fascinated by his Art. “Titchfiel Abbey” is a short Folk piece that fits perfectly with the remaining songs that it easily fuses and becomes one with the others. It might sound strange, but it all makes sense to me.

The melancholy that serves as the basis for his melodies is a charming one, a loveable one, and we let ourselves go when it starts humming. Auld Ridge is the type of Black Metal that pulls me down to the dirt, to the rural upbringing, and that is a remarkable accomplishment. One word? Exquisite.

Order of Ytene Official Bandcamp