Månegarm
Urminnes Hävd - the Forest Sessions ()
Wydane przez Displeased RecordsRok wydania Kraj SwedenNapisał Wouter8
This is the final (and sixth) album on Displeased Records, as the band recently inked a new contract with Black Lodge. "Urminnes Hävd - the Forest Sessions" is an entire acoustic venture presenting the folk metal glory that is Månegarm in bare bones. Once again this album was recorded at Studio Underground and like their last album the production is one many bands can only dream of. Pretty much like their more popular Finnish brethren Finntroll did with their "Visor Om Slutet" album - it's all about atmosphere here and that is abundantly present on "Urminnes Hävd - the Forest Sessions". Bouncing folk music is combined with more traditional Viking melodies as upbeat rhythms, sing-along choruses and a plethora of vocal deliveries are to be counted among Månegarm's well-known arsenal of strengths. The female vocals are far more present on this album than with past releases - they do, however, add to the compositions and form a nice contrast with all the male vocal fireworks going on here. The artwork was once again conjured up by Belgian genre artist Kris Verwimp who is pretty much a household name in the pagan/black metal circles. Picking out a stand-out track is no easy task as all 7 tracks of this record are of outstanding quality. Concluding, now 6 albums deep into their career the Swedish monarchs of Viking/folk metal remain as addictive and unmatched as always. Highly recommended.
www.manegarm.com
