Grole: Demo Album Review!
Grole Review:
Grole is primitive and raw black metal from an unlikely place. About thirty minutes from the little town I was born in, Grand Bank, lies Marystown. With a population of about 5000 it is the hub of The Burin Peninsula on the Eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland.
Newfoundland is known for hospitality, nature, fishing, hunting etcetera, but not so much black metal. If you asked someone on the street in one of these small outport communities what black metal was, they would think you were the devil himself or on drugs, always with the drugs. People are more familiar with the likes of Harry Hibbs or Simani than Mayhem or Burzum.
I became familiar with the work of the sole member of Grole, a lad going by the moniker of Illusory. Illusory is originally from Marystown and now resides in Montreal. A member of the successful black metal horde Spectral Wound (read review here) and war metal cult Profane Order (read review here).
Grole brings that Newfoundland flare and tribute to the island while delivering a really savage black metal attack. Going back to that lo-fi no frills recording style which delivers a great atmosphere and vibe to this release. A one-man project utilizing a punchy punk infused black metal sound.
Recorded on a Tascam MF-P01 which is essentially a four-track cassette recorder. When I saw this recording info the sound on the demo made sense with the tape hissing and bare bones approach which I dig. I purchased a Grole shirt, and the demo was included. I was more familiar with the full length With a Pike Upon My Shoulder but that’s another review for another day. I haven’t heard a demo in a long time unless you include the Blood Sacrifice album The Horned Goddess (a band which Illusory was also involved in and that release is reviewed here). The execution on this one was impressive. A raw sound but still tight musicianship and convincing delivery.
The Demo contains 7 tracks clocking in at 25-minutes. My favorite track on the demo being The Suffocating Smell. Despite not having the lyrics I can predict from the song titles alone there is a heavy inspiration from his hometown and island of Newfoundland. The opener titled Contempt begins with these clear vocals and really threw me off at first — it’s cool but not what I expected. The raspy tortured screams soon cut in and never let up for the rest of the release.
This demo is solid, relentless, grimy sounding one-man black metal attack from the cold icy eastern shores of Newfoundland. It comes highly recommended for those looking for some savage primitive sounding tunes.
Album Info:
Band: Grole
Album: Demo
Members: Illusory
Produced by: Illusory
Recorded: Marystown, Newfoundland
Year: 2020
Country: Canada
Runtime: 25min
Label: Tour De Garde
Track Listing:
01. Contempt
02. My Path
03. The Suffocating Smell
04. Devil’s Hour
05. Anomie
06. Foul Crapulence
07. Outport