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Solid Folk Metal that will have you headbanging from the start.-
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| Svartsot: Maledictus Eris |
Folk Metal
Napalm Records
August 9th, 2011
- Staden... - 0:48
- Gud Giv Det Varer Ved! - 4:27
- Dødedansen - 5:00
- Farsoten Kom - 4:32
- Holdt Net Af En Tjørn - 4:26
- Den Forgængelige Tro - 4:47
- Om Jeg Lever Kveg - 3:23
- Kunsten At Dø - 5:04
- Den Nidske Gud - 4:50
- Spigrene - 4:14
- Og Landet Ligger Så Øde Hen - 4:46
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| Review Information |
Release length: 46:17
Review posted on July 30th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 9.5/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Ravnenes Saga (2007) • Mulmets Viser (2010) • Maledictus Eris (2011)
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| Demo(s): |
Svundne Tider (2006) • Tvende Ravne (2007)
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| Review |
Svartsot has been a hit and miss band among the Folk Metal fans over their past two albums. The group formed back in 2005 and hails from Randers, Denmark, which is usually a good sign when it comes to good Folk Metal releases. After the less-then-well-recepted Mulmets Viser, Svartsot return roughly a year later with their third full-length effort, Maledictus Eris, and given the time span of the two albums, it's enough to cause some alarms to go off. But, does the band deliver a solid effort and spoil their fans, or does Maledictus Eris another album that won't be too well accepted in the Metal world?
The production quality to the album is superb. Maledictus Eris doesn't really have the cleanest of qualities, which is great becuase it helps the the instruments out well as they benefit from a loud and crisp production without having it come off completely sterilized. All the instruments sound heavy as well, with the guitars having a bit of a higher pitch but adding a little extra edge to the music, and the drum kits sounds great with everything leveled properly and working with the heavy and noticable bass. These and all the additional Folk instruments, dominantly flutes, are all pretty loud in the mix and seem to blanket the gutturals, which are deep and crisp as well, but not to the point where you can really understand what is being said. All of this leads to a fantastic crushing sound that, thanks to the Folk instruments and the more upbeat sounds, often gives the material the feeling that you should be drinking pints of ale and singing along in a small tavern somewhere, just having fun with this release. The only time you probably won't have any fun on this recording, however, will be the opening track "Staden..." which seems to benefit too much from that additional crispness. The introductions ets up the time period to the album and it's atmosphere well, but it features a lot of dialogue and noise, which includes a baby crying, and while it's still low, it's still a sound that can easily infuriate a lot of people (including myself).
But once "God Giv Det Varer Ved!" kicks in, there's no denying the group did a splendid job at creating a heavy, fun, and addicting Folk Metal effort. This track has a bit of a glorious feel to it that gives it that slight upbeat and fun and drunken atmosphere to it while still having enough of a heavy edge that you'll immediately start headbanging along to the deep bass and the rhythm the well paced drums permeate throughout the song. While there are many songs on the recording similar to the environment this one gives off, luckily not all feel somewhat glorious and upbeat, as "Dødedansen" does take a little more of a serious approach to the song, but again thanks to the Folk instruments you can't help but sometimes interpret passages of the song in a manner best to drink in memory of the occassion the band is portraying on the release.
And from there, it's just non-stop solid Folk Metal. It's impossible to sit down and say which songs are good and which are bad because there isn't a single track on here that is bad outside the slightly irritating forty eight second intro with some baby crying during it, but that's it and can be overlooked for the most part because of how short the cries last on it. The only track on the release that may not really hold the listener's attention is "Den forgængelige Tro", but that's more because it's not the most spectacular or unique of Folk Metal tracks, coming off a little more generic then anything else, but having more of a somber atmosphere to it this time around that won't find your head banging along to it. It's not that catchy, and with it's slower pace, you can't help but feel you've heard the song before, though some moments of the song do take on some more "epic" structures and performances, plus there's some additional vocals to the mix which include background rhasps against the deep guttural performance. Luckily this is the only actual song that isn't the greatest, but even for a generic sounding track it has it's moments that will capture the listener's attention. Of course it's not the only slower track, as there's also "Spigrene", but this one has a little emotion to it in all forms. The song itself feels more emotional then bland with somewhat epic moments like the aforementioned track, and this one mixes things up with some clean singing that matches the lighter atmosphere of the track that feels more geared towards a Pagan sound, but maintaining enough of a Folk approach with solid music that will take the listener away from start to finish.
While there's plenty of excellent tracks on here, and "Den forgængelige Tro" could have easily ended Maledictus Eris on a more uplifting and heavily atmospheric note, the band closes the release with "Og Landet Ligger Så Øde Hen", which is just a fantastic track, and easily one of the best off the recording. The Folk environment to the recording is the strongest it can be, those specific instruments really having a stronger presence on this song then before, and a natural mid-tempo Folk Metal sound and pace that's both heavy and catchy, leaving the listener headbanging involuntarily throughout and feeling uplifted by the end of the track, closing the album in a much more vibrant and richer manner then the album starts off with. The only complaint is that the song sounds as though it just ends a little more abruptly then it should have, though not leaving the listener feeling like it was sudden and there was more but no one felt like continuing the song. This among other fantastic tracks like the already mentioned "Gud Giv Det Varer Ved!", the atmospherically rich and catchy "Holdt Net Af En Tjørn", and the number of other great songs on this release really take the listener into a superb world of Folk Metal that many bands today try to give off but don't really manage to capture as strongly as Svartsot does.
If you're a fan of Folk Metal, there's no reason Maledictus Eris should not be in your collection. This album is full of catchy music that will have you raising a mug of meade in celebration to the upbeat Folk elements, then downing it in sorrow to the heavier and more somber tracks. With exception of one or two songs on the album, you'll be left headbanging along through the album from "Gud Giv Det Varer Ved!" until "Holdt Net Af En Tjørn". Easily the best of their discography at this point, Maledictus Eris is a shining example of what solid Folk Metal is and can be, leaving the listener with just over forty six minutes worth of catchy material you'll leave on repeat for quite some time.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Napalm Records.
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