Artist: Auriel’s Bow
Country: Bulgaria
Label: Blasphemous Rumours Promotion
Formats: Cassette EP
Year: 2025
Not something I like to admit, but when I started the reviewing in the first years of the 00’s I used to be the youngest in every crew, now I am amongst the elderly. That means that sometimes I have no clue what things are about, at least, when “kids” talk. When I first encountered Black Metal that was inspired by The Elder Scrolls I had absolutely now idea what that was. And, honestly, I was a bit flabbergasted that there are apparently people who can feel inspired by a video game to begin with… But that first encounter was really just the start, many more bands followed. The latest one in that series is Auriel’s Bow, a one-man project by Milan who lives in the Bulgarian city of Petrich.
His latest offering, admittedly I never heard of the project before, is this ‘Tamrielic Surrealism’-EP, released by the Blasphemous Rumours Promotion label run by Todorac of Smyrtonos. In just under fifteen minutes we are first treated on a suspenseful Dungeon Synth-like piano intro after which it bursts into a rather up-beat, almost frivolous sort of melody-driven Black Metal. After blinking a few times and giving everything a chance to sink in, there is no other conclusion than that this latest release from Auriel’s Bow contains a more than catchy piece of Black Metal.
Of course, as part of my homework, I also listened to some of his previous work, and it is clear that the young man has a creative mind that justifies his prolific output (two albums and a demo in 2024, and an album and this EP this year). Of all the previously recorded material, I think ‘Tamrielic Surrealism’ is Milan’s best work to date. The melody-heavy material, the loud and well-balanced mix, stunning dynamics and the great propulsive bass guitar makes this EP profoundly stand out. But that Milan also knows his classics is proven by the closing track of the EP, a cover of ‘Hades’ found on Bathory’s iconic debut LP. Not too sure how this fits in The Elder Scrolls concept, yet it is a well-done cover track that shows respect to the original but adds something of Milan’s own as well.
While most of Auriel’s Bow’s contemporaries hail from the USA, I think this still rather obscure one-man act fits very much in the same ranks as Daedric Chamber and the likes. I just hope that Milan’s impressive output doesn’t come at the expense of quality. As a one-man band with all the conveniences of home recording, it sometimes proves difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.
