Review by Dominik on October 22, 2024.

Well, here’s a case of languages playing a delightful trick on the unwary. When I first encountered Castle Inside The Eclipse, it wasn’t the music that caught my attention (since I hadn’t heard it yet). It was the album cover, which looked like one of those fairy-tale power metal releases but not like a scary black metal monument. The second interesting observation was the band name – Bloedmaan – which, to my German ears, sounded like something a punk band may use as its moniker. In German, “Blödmann” (pronounced very similarly) translates to “stupid fool”, so I was sure I was in for some ironic, goofy punk. 

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that “Bloedmaan” is actually Flemish for “blood moon”. So much for my punk rock theory! Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and what I found was not a punk-infused self-parody, but a short (way too short) yet impressive piece of melodic black metal. And yes, despite my initial doubts, it does live up to the black metal tag.

The album consists of five tracks, and they feel like a tug-of-war between melodic, melancholic guitar riffs and harsh, blackened vocals. Being a one-man band, you can sense as if Ronarg, the man himself behind Bloedmaan is locked in a battle with his own creative impulses. Which should take the lead – the melody or the (vocal) menace? It’s a constant struggle, and frankly, that tension works.

The opening track 'The Night Of Blood' sets the tone for the album with a captivating mix of melodic riffs and atmospheric tension. It´s an immediate plunge into Bloedmaan's universe, a fitting, immersive introduction to this brief yet intense journey. The slowest track on the album is to be found on position three. 'Haunted Melancholic Obsession' delivers exactly what the title promises. It’s a melancholic, haunting piece, dominated by the lead guitar. In this instance, the music and title are in perfect sync. However, don’t expect that kind of clarity for the rest of the songs.

The standout track in my book is 'Winged Flight Under The Pale Moon'. Here things really take off – literally and figuratively. It runs for over seven minutes and gives us a full tour of the possibilities of melodic black metal. Around the 3:10 mark, the song kicks into a higher gear, the riffs fly (to be more exact we talk about one main riff), and despite the overall grim mood, there’s a surprising lightness that creeps in. It’s the kind of paradox only black metal can pull off, making you feel both crushed under the weight of existence and somehow weightless all at once.

The album ends with 'The Hunter’s Dream', another gem of black metal grandeur. What I really appreciate here is that Bloedmaan hasn’t forgotten that underneath all the corpse paint and misanthropy, this is still metal. We’re treated to some traditional heavy metal elements towards the end of the track, including a solid solo. It’s refreshing to hear a black metal artist who hasn’t forgotten his roots and that a little classic metal bravado never hurt anyone.

The only downside? Castle Inside The Eclipse clocks in at a mere 29 minutes, which is a cruel tease given the clear talent on display here. It’s like ordering a pint of Belgian beer, only for the bartender to hand you a thimble. Just when you’re getting ready for the sixth song, it’s over. Let’s hope that for album number two, Bloedmaan has the confidence to go the full distance because this short offering shows plenty of potential for something much more substantial.

Rating: 8 out of 10 – because while I was fooled by the name, I’m no fool when it comes to spotting potential. Now give us more than a half-hour next time, or I’ll start calling him “Blödmann” again.

Review by Vladimir on January 26, 2024.

Are you a fan of vampire horror or perhaps gothic horror in general? Or are you perhaps searching for something Lovecraftian? Or better yet, how about all of it, combined with black metal music. If this is what you are looking for, then hop in and join me on this journey to the shadows and beyond, as we explore the castle halls of the Belgian black metal one-man band Bloedmaan, with its debut full-length album Castle Inside The Eclipse released on December 15th, 2023 via Immortal Frost Productions. 

From the very get-go, Bloedmaan gives us a vampiric, epic and melodic black metal with dynamic rhythmic patterns implemented throughout every song. Every song is dominated with melodic and powerful tremolo picking riffs with drums that switch between blast beats, double-bass drumming, mid-tempo drumming and even thrash metal drumming, while the haunting vampiric vocals scream within the halls of the castle walls. The only song that introduces something unexpectedly different, yet welcoming for a change, is the third track 'Haunted Melancholic Obsessions' with its epic clean singing vocals during the song’s chorus, much in the vein of Bathory’s viking metal era. From one song to another, you’ll get this sense as if the album was meant to be like one grand odyssey within the misty and gloomy realms, shrouded in shadow and mystery, taking you to unexpected places where you’d best not dare dwell. This journey to the shadows and beyond goes so smoothly that it even ends on a very high note with the final track 'The Hunter's Dream', which gives this whole story an epic closure with a grand payoff. 

The album’s overall songwriting is incredibly dynamic and each song has an effective and smooth transition from one section to another, without breaking away from the album’s stylistic consistency. Something that I felt while listening to this album is that its atmosphere conveys a bit of a Castlevania vibe with its melodies and even the incredibly stylish cover art that was done by the band’s only member Ronarg. Funny thing about this album is that it’s only 28 minutes and 50 seconds long, which is just a little less than a standard album runtime, however considering how the songs have such a strong and dynamic flow of emotions, you feel as if you just listened to an album that lasted over 40 to 50 minutes. There are so many things on this album that could be easily highlighted as one of its greatest charms, but I think we can all agree that the biggest delight is that this album feels exactly like a journey that doesn’t let go or allow itself to disappoint even at the very end. The album has a very raw sharp yet still polished production that manages to make a raw sound feel so balanced out, all the way down to the guitars and drums, except for the vocals which sound like distant cries from the forbidden woods. 

Indeed, this turned out to be one epic and worthy experience that did not let me down, which could possibly be one of the finest melodic black metal works in recent years. With its total of 5 songs in the tracklist, it made it feel like the number of songs was doubled, especially since the runtime does not feel incredibly short, and yet it keeps your attention going all the way through. If you are by any chance looking for a delightful melodic black metal album with vampiric and Lovecraftian concepts, look no further than Bloedmaan’s Castle Inside The Eclipse. 

Rating: 8.9 out of 10