Album Review: Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage

“What shall become of this island, another century down the road? Abandoned hopes and towns of ghosts, left scattered amidst the bones.”

Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage
June 24th, 2023
Blackened Heavy Metal
Viridian Records
Glovertown, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Mistwalker returns to the turbulent history of Newfoundland and Labrador on their 2023 full length album Oceanic Heritage. With this the black metal project led by multi instrumentalist Greg Ravengrave makes the third entry in the ‘Newfoundland Trilogy’, preceded by 2017’s Alexander Bay, and 2018’s Terra Nova. The album covers a wide range of topics, such as the ancient Viking settlers on “L’Anse Aux Meadows”, to more recent events such as the damage of Hurricane Igor on the track “Igor’s Wrath”.

Mistwalker delivers much more than a history lesson as the album is loaded with fierce and fast songs just as heavy as their inspirations. After the melancholic piano overture of “Home”, you’re thrown into “Oceanic Heritage”, a tempest of a title track that ravages the listener with ten minutes of black metal fury. Every new riff of this track hits like a tidal wave.

Other highlights include “Beaumont-Hamel” and “Mystery Veteran”. These war themed tunes bring speed metal into the mix and offer some galloping guitar, and in the case of “Beaumont-Hamel” pummeling drums that make it sound like a battlefield. 

“L’Anse Aux Meadows” was another track I found myself returning to. I mean it’s a black metal album, of course the Viking song’s going to be a banger. That intro is such a good hook I’d let it invade and pillage my ears any day.

Coming in at just over an hour the album is a powerhouse that is not to be overlooked by extreme metal fans. Oceanic Heritage brings a trilogy born from a burning passion for the past to an epic conclusion.

Final Verdict: 8/10
Great

Favourite Tracks:
“Oceanic Heritage”
“Beaumont-Hamel”
“Mystery Veteran”
“L’Anse Aux Meadows”

~ James Titford