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ANGANTYR - Sejr re-release
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8/10 (engl.) The Metal Observer
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Together we are strong. You or me when we shout out loud, who listens? You, me and all our mates, if we all start a hollerin' then someone will take note.
“Sejr” works much on the same basis in that the guitars have something to say but lack enough voice on their own. Fortunately when joined by bass and drums, this album pushes a swell before it that will make your bow rise and perk up your day.
The burden of ANGANTYR is borne on the shoulders of one man and he does a fine job of raising the emotions through highly communicative guitar work.
There is more than a hint of Viking about this album as well as some Folk structure and as such visions of blood-letting and Nordic pride should be felt by all, even you Southerners.
There is a strong sense of heritage both in the music and in the subject matter. This feeling is conveyed whether you read the lyrics or not.
This is one of my favourite forms of Metal, music that sweeps through with rapid majesty that you can still hum along to. There is no dearth of hummers on “Sejr” and so I am a happy chappy to say the least. Much of this nods to the past and convinces in its recollection, worshippers of trebley guitar need look no further.
If you want to be awash due to the rise and fall of the riff, then the lead melodies that roll in constantly throughout should leave you in delight of the deluge. One of the best examples for this is probably “Hadets Sorte Flamme” which evokes a choppy sail across the Baltic, though the lyrics talk a darker tale.
The surge of music that lifts and drops you with the listening is a recurring motif throughout the album and if it doesn't have you breaking out the bearskins you are probably missing the point.
What some may take for melancholy, I take as triumphalism and if I had a sword, it would be raised high with blood dripping from it, (or seeing as I am a Buddhist, vegetable based, blood substitute.) As with the best of this form of Black Metal, “Sejr” sounds organic with a natural balance, its strength laying in the instrumental unison. The harsh sneers and croaks that are the vocals convey that sense of defiance and brotherhood you would expect from a warrior, there are no histrionics just a strong sense of purpose.
Many of the tracks here rip along with abandon, however they are not brutal, more lightly armed rapid reaction fighters capable of creating as much mayhem as a tank battalion.
This fleet of foot method means that even when something like the drums are at full blast, it does not overwhelm and you can allow yourself to be carried along, hardly touching the ground.
There are plenty of more sedate passages that muster ready to march to the next skirmish and so no accusations all rush and no substance will be countenanced, thank you.
The glide and soar of “Sejr” makes for a compelling listen. As a reminder of how classic Black Metal can sound, it certainly does its job. Even when it’s over, I can still feel the floor rising and falling.
(Online November 12, 2006)
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© 2005 Det Germanske Folket
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