Album Review: Skadin – Wallachian Emperor
Band: Skadin
Album: Wallachian Emperor
Label: Loud Rage Music
Release date: February 17th, 2026
Country: Romania
Format reviewed: High quality digital recording
Album Review: Skadin – Wallachian Emperor via Loud Rage Music by Ioana
Some of you may remember that sometime ago, I happened to review a single by the name of “Autumn Nerves”, my first ever exposure to Skadin, a band that has been steadily building a reputation for itself in the Romanian underground. And that particular song left me pondering upon what would the future material of Skadin would come to sound like, my assumptions leaning on the moodier, atmospheric/post black metal side of things. That being said I was very much surprised when I finally sat down to listen to its latest work, that being the debut full length album by the name of “Wallachian Emperor”, and I have to admit, this is one of the records that makes me hopeful when it comes to my home country’s black metal output (but that is very much a story for another time).
The album itself is on the shorter side, spanning approximately 25 minutes, and features 7 tracks, of varying lengths. This works to its advantage in a lot of ways, as the music itself is very focused and there is no filler material whatsoever diluting it. This is something that is typically tricky to pull off on a debut album, which makes it all the more impressive. It also serves as a testament to the songwriting skills of project main-man, Count Kristian. The melodic aspects of the album are particularly well-developed, making great use of galloping riffs and various types of synth in order to create an expansive, epic sound. In many ways, “Wallachian Emperor” reminds me a lot of Windir’s “Arntor, a Warrior” and “1184” albums, carrying similarities in both the sound and production, but not to the point where it feels forced or akin to a copy. As far as I can tell, Skadin’s album is already starting to form its own identity, and as a result, “Wallachian Emperor” ends up feeling both fresh and unique, as well as old-school in its approach.
Something that I was particularly impressed of, besides the guitar work and the overall structure of the songs, is the use of synth. Done by established project collaborator, D.P. Mann, they are very much a central element in the music, being used to flesh out melodies, not just for the sake of the atmosphere. That being said, they are tastefully executed, in the sense that they do not detract from the harshness of the music, doing, at times, quite the opposite, by fleshing out the music background on which said grit unfolds.
Another interesting quirk of “Wallachian Emperor” is the use of guitar solos, such as the one on the track “Last Man Alive”, one of my personal favourites. It very much reminds me of traditional heavy metal, perhaps power metal acts such as Blind Guardian, and somehow, it fits perfectly into the atmosphere. There is a lot of heavy metal influence on this album as a whole, and that is one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much. Callbacks to the classics never hurt a record as far as I can tell.
Of course it would be very out of character for me to say nothing about the vocal performance. But funnily enough, this time around I ended up being far more impressed by the guitar work more than anything else, vocals included. Nevertheless, I have to say that the low, raspy approach, akin to something inbetween a growl and a screech, works greatly in the context of the album, yet it is simply not the main dish in my opinion.
All that being said, “Wallachian Emperor” is without a solid record that left quite a strong impression of me. I’ve currently finished my third listen of it, and something tells me I’ll be going for a fourth one too. Nevertheless, you all know what you have to do. 9/10
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