Discography
The Night Stalker Demos
June 16, 2022
- The Ghost Of Greymoor Castle.
- The Spider Queen.
- The Night Is Dark And Full Of Terrors.
- Full Animal.
- The Forst Giants Daughter.
As we have discovered from the above interview, we now know how and why these songs are so competent, given the fact that Von Boldt as a band are so new. Von Boldt’s first EP, The Night Stalker Demos is a collection of songwriter James Von Boldts previous incarnation when he was known as The Night Stalker. Described as demos only in the sense that they do not feature some of the complete band that we know as Von Boldt, not in a recording sense. This sounds as polished as a professional recording. It is a showcase of things to come on the upcoming full-length album currently under way called Hallowed Be My Name. The Night Stalker Demos is the ultimate introduction to Von Boldt. They describe themselves as horror movie, heavy metal rock' n' roll which is a fine approximation but I get a combination of other genres too, like a bit of sludge/doom metal in there. This 5-track EP gives us almost 25 minutes of creepy, atmospheric, riff-driven, experimental, horror-fueled music to rock out to!
Opening with the awe-inspiring "Ghost of Greymoor Castle" which is a well-paced, larger than life story that starts things off with a bang. Next up it moves onto the rockier number "The Spider Queen" which is faster paced and a little more anthemic with a killer chorus. The midway song, "The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors," is the track that got me completely hooked. In fact, I loved it so much I featured it on our Song of the Day post literally as soon as I'd heard it back in August. This is the only horrorpunk style track on the EP due to the use of more atmospheric keys and melody with a more pop feel to it than the others, possibly due to the cowbell percussion yet still holding that dark undertone they carry so well. In my opinion, this is the hardest track to move on from. Once you have moved on though you get to experience the angrier, more experimental side of Von Boldt as they go "Full Animal" which is a full on industrial/sludge assault on the senses. After discovering some of Von Boldt’s musical influences I can definitely hear and feel the love for Mike Patton and a bit of Ghost in this. He subtly conducts a Patton vocal style with some Tobias Forge theatrics thrown in for good measure but all done in his own way creating a unique tone. It's definitely the heaviest track so far with a fantastic sing along chorus. "Full Animal" may be the most beefy track so far but they have saved the monstrously heavy riffage for last. "The Forst Giants Daughter" concludes the EP the same way that "Ghost of Greymoor Castle" opened it, in true outstanding and epic proportions. This is such a huge track it's hard to describe...but I will try. Telling an epic tale it incorporates myth and legend with haunting keys, a rumbling bassline and mammoth riffs. I am aware that I compare a lot of bands to Mastodon but this track would honestly not look out of place if it had appeared on Crack The Skye. It has that feel to it and they embrace the many twists, changes and chord progressions within it, and that ending... it totally blew me away.
Live at Count's Vamp'd Sin City June 3 2022
June 24, 2022
- Ghost of Greymoor Castle.
- Dying.
- Cemetery Party.
- The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors.
- The Spider Queen.
- Hallowed Be My Name.
A live recording of the band playing their favourite venue, Vamp'd, in Las Vegas. Featuring three songs from previously released The Night Stalker Demos and three others that I'm assuming were also from Von Boldt’s previous incarnation. "Dying", "Cemetery Party" and "Hallowed Be My Name" are great additions to their set list being as they are quality sounding black ‘n’ roll style songs with more awesome horrorpunk influences creeping into "Cemetery Party". This is also a great way to hear their raw live performance energy and experience the band as a whole as they are in their current lineup, complete with Lisa on backing vocals. Recording-wise it is not the best, but you can hear everything well enough. It doesn't need to be polished up to give a good example of the live Von Boldt experience -- plus it has a great nostalgic bootleg quality to it that a lot of bands overlook these days.
Hound Dog
July 28, 2022
- Hound Dog
- Hound Dog (instrumental)
Opening with that completely original, movie-style quote, this is an Elvis cover but not as we know it. With some great haunting "woahs", "ohs" and wolf howls as an intro with a smooth rock 'n' roll beat when the song kicks in. Verse and chorus style stays true to the original until the final part when they slow it right down and dirty. The extra percussive element could be mistaken for more drums but, in fact, it is actually friend of the band and tap dancing fiend Kenji Igus, who really gives it the beans! What would really help with this is a video to accompany the song, showcasing Kenji's talent as I believe it would be quite a sight to behold.
That is currently it for Von Boldt’s recent releases as they are still a brand new band. But I am totally digging what I have heard of these guys so far and they could really be going places... quickly. As we have heard, direct from the band, they are working on a full-length album right now which will hopefully be out by the end of the year. I, for one, cannot wait for this and am very keen to review it. I wish Von Boldt all the best for the future with Hallowed Be My Name and the subsequent tours.
Thanks for reading Upcoming Talent. This is the place to be if you are in an unsigned band and want to shout about it! In this feature you will find out all about our chosen band straight from the horse’s mouth -- not to mention a full discography review, merch, social and gig links with some visual aids for your delectation. If you would like to be featured in a future Upcoming Talent piece then please contact me at [email protected].
