Artist: Teñvalded
Country: France
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2026
Teñvalded debuted last April with a self-titled demo tape that contains a mix of both Dark Ambient and Dungeon Synth. Although it leaned more towards the latter and therefore feels at least a little related to Black Metal, the project seem to have abandoned both styles and went only and head first into Black Metal. Or, at least that’s the case on this second demo tape that also omits a title…
By using the same/a similar font for the band’s logo as Ildjarn’s, you might have been fooled a little. As the music on this second demo tape has practically nothing to do with the stripped down and folk/punk-infused Black Metal of the Norwegian visionary. And to top it all off, the artwork also has a very recognisable Ildjarn style. But regardless of the intention, it did work, because I clicked on it right away.
Instead, Teñvalded, which is probably a one-man project, goes for a rather mellow kind of Black Metal. You can still file this under “Raw Black Metal”, but it definitely belongs to the more accessible kind. There are plenty of variations in tempo, an overload of melodies and a production that isn’t necessarily super raw. It might not have been a direct inspiration, but it reminds me of the last couple of Drowning The Light releases that also bear a friendly and even dreamy sound. Teñvalded also makes use of the same sort of drawn-out melodies and tremolo riffs, and the final track on this demo is a somewhat formulaic piece of Dungeon Synth/Dark Ambient, not entirely dissimilar to what Drowning The Light also employs from time to time.
Not necessarily a bad demo, but one that drifts by without any sense of urgency or particular highlights. The bit of ‘magic’ found in its anonymity and unclear origins (Brittany, France) doesn’t quite make up for it, and add to that the fact that, as a listener, you’re led up the garden path into expecting something much rougher than what you ultimately end up with. It’s a pass, but not a resounding one.
