Helheim – raunijaR
Label: Dark Essence Records – already released
Helheim is one of the few Viking / Black Metal oriented bands from Norway that I have been praising in the past. And their 8 album, released after a 4 year hiatus, also does not fail in leaving a good impression. First, it is one of those bands that can appeal to those who are not really fans of the genre at all, just because the band has always been transcending genre definitions not only by instrumentation (e.g. Mouthharp). Secondly, it is not quite what you might expect when hearing those key words ”Norway”, ”Viking” or ”Metal” – unless those words trigger a reference to Ulver. Or unless ”Viking” makes you think of a certain TV series… For some reason those archaic parts on this CD had Ragnar Lothbrok, Floki & their world appear in my mind’s eye… Maybe that is not even too far from the quartet’s intentions, as two tracks complete the Åsgards Fall cycle (the sixth album) both lyrically and musically. Besides that you will find blast beats, epic Pagan sound scapes, piano, horns, haunting vocals and a totally sick violin… so well, simply give this Helhelm universe a try.
Websites: helheim.com | facebook.com/helheim
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7.5/10