Band:	Vallendusk
Album:	Black Clouds Gathering
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	April 2013

01. Fragments Of Light
02. To Wander And Beyond
03. Shades Of Grey
04. Into The Mist
05. Among The Giants
06. Realms Of The Elder
07. Land Of The Lurking Twilight

It's unusual to find atmospheric black metal bands coming from Indonesia, but Vallendusk, coming from Jakarta, succeeded in introducing themselves with a very good album. Black Clouds Gathering is their debut after releasing their first EP called Vallendusk in 2012.

The album has a great start with "Fragments Of Light" and a great ending with "Land Of The Lurking Twilight". One of the features of Black Clouds Gathering is the awesome folk influences, especially in songs like "Fragments Of Light" and "Realms Of The Elder". Great acoustic guitar works followed by great melodies. For those of you who appreciate melodies; the melodies in this album make it lively so that even the non-preferable tracks won't bore you at all. On the contrary, the melodies are the source of strength in this album. The vocals are decent and most of the lyrics talk about nature, and they are suitable for the album's atmosphere. The cover art is decent too; it's neither lame nor creative. It still gives you that awesome feeling where you would like to listen to this album in the winter.

So generally, Black Clouds Gathering is surprisingly awesome. If atmospheric black metal is one of your favorite genres, you won't regret listening to this album; just give it a try. Personally, I consider it one of the best releases of 2013 and definitely the best atmospheric black metal album of this year; hence I predict a bright future for Vallendusk.

Favorite tracks are "Fragments Of Light", "Into The Mist" and "Realms Of The Elder".