Entry 529 - Thyrfing - Vanagandr

 

Style: Viking metal, black metal, epic metal, melodic black metal

Primary Emotions: Pride, violence, power, majesty

Thoughts: I never liked this band. I always thought they were Enslaved's little brother who never could never put everything together to make a good album. The music never gripped me, and I always struggled to find an album that spoke to me. 

That all changed with a new vocalist. Hels vite released with Jens Ryden taking over vox, and what a difference that made. The music went from boring to v i o l e n t. That album has a rage that very few bands have matched. Jens' vocals in particular are venomous and add dynamics to the music that weren't there before. It's easily their best album.

A few years later Vanagandr releases, and I wasn't nearly as excited about. De odeslosa was a bit of a disappointment coming from Hels vite. I didn't even listen to Vanagandr when it first dropped. I would get around to it eventually. Well, that moment was a year ago and it blew me away.

Jens' vocals have changed greatly. They are gravely and sound aged. They still have that visceral tone to them, but it’s more like a grizzled old veteran recounting his tales of battle rather than a warrior on the front lines.

The music itself is more restrained and relies more on choirs and keyboards than the past couple of albums.  Vanagandr is more epic in execution compared to than the overbearing violence from Hels vite. It’s a lot to get used to, but after some time I found myself being swept away by the incredible power that this album has.

For most of the album, the blistering blast beats of the earlier works have been dropped in favor of a middling pace. With how overwhelming the music can get, this pace fits well. When the band does blast though, look out. These moments are few and far between, but when they are there, they slay.

Vanagandr is a different Thyrfing album. It's a mature take on their blackened Viking metal. It relies more on atmosphere and grandeur rather than performing a blood eagle on the listener. Even though I still prefer the violence of the earlier albums Vanagandr shows that the band can evolve in effective ways.