Månegarm
Vridens Tid ()
Wydane przez Displeased RecordsRok wydania 2005Kraj SwedenNapisał Wouter8
Some time ago Displeased Records released Månegarm's demo anthology "Vargaresa - the Beginning" which was an interesting listen since it was my first exposure to this band. Now Manegarm presents their 4th album to date aptly named "Vredens Tid" (which translated means "The Age Of Wrath"). The album opens with 'Vid Hargen' which serves a mood-setting intro of sorts, but I fail to see the purpose and relevance of it. Next up are 'Sigrblot' and 'Skymningsresa' ('Twilight Voyage') that grip the listener with its upbeat folk rhythms, sing-along choruses and a wealthy array of vocals, including clean, semi-grunts, shouts as well as the genre-typical rasped vocals. Female vocals are to be found on this album, but they are used only when the track calls for it. 'Kollöga Trolltand' ('Charcoal-Eye Troll Tooth') initially begins from a mid-tempo, building pace along with soothing violin lines. Midway the track explodes into a brief blastbeat centerpiece, after which all stops are pulled out - only to return to the pace the track begun with. I wish more bands would be like this. After the slightly more introspective former track, 'Dödens Strand' ('Shores Of Death') follows suit in the established style and while being upbeat in tempo and enthusiastic in spirit the music conveys a genuine sense of feeling and atmosphere that only bands of this ilk can produce. Artwork is once again produced by Belgian cult artist Kris Verwimp - a Månegarm regular by now. The production courtesy of Studio Underground (Carnal Forge, Fleshcrawl) is crisp, clean and quite heavy in usual black metal terms. People who enjoy Suidakra, Finntroll and old Amon Amarth will like this a lot. A special mention must go to the booklet that comes with this album. Credit must go to the fine people in Månegarm for including the original Norse lyrics along with translations in English for those not familiar with their native tongue. Another good thing to see is that the band doesn't use any ridiculous corpse paint, hokey stage names and presents itself in a more natural way. The band picture reminds me a bit of early Dissection or those early Swedish death metal bands. A solid, competent and varied Viking/folk black metal album that will please all different crowds. Thumbs up!
www.manegarm.com
