Style: Black metal, viking metal, epic, folk
Primary Emotions/Themes: You mean there is a second album??? Still completely gob struck by how good this is
Thoughts: I'm sitting here with my head in my hands. I'm completely overwhelmed by how beautiful this album is. The deep spoken narration with acoustic guitars and violin playing over top... it is so simple but it feels so welcoming. It feels like I've come home.
Chapter two of Saga á Tveim Tungum is as incredible as the first entry... perhaps more so. The album delves deeper into the acoustic side of the band, in fact the first ten to twelve minutes of the band are completely devoid anything to do with metal. They are entirely composed of acoustic guitar, violin and the majestic sounds of nature. These opening minutes put me into such a state of peace that I'm often shaken when the genre shifts.
The metal crashes into the record like waves crashing into a rocky coast. The riffs slowly build as the tremolo picking leads the melodies of the epic ten minute Sem járnklær nætr dragask nærr. The vocals have shifted from the deep yet soothing narration of the first two tracks to a snarl that rivals some of the finest vocals found in either viking or black metal.
The track continues to wind in and out of different melodies and themes before finally landing back into the peace of nature by its end. This is the story of this second chapter. So much is content to be held within the quieter moments of the acoustic spectrum of music. This is what differentiates this entry from the first chapter. Whereas that one focused more on the beauty of nature as told through metal, this is the same concept but told through acoustic instrumentation. Of course the metal is still here, and it is still as menacing as the first chapter... the overall sense of the album is just a bit calmer though.
These two albums have taken me back to a time when I could easily get excited about music. A time when I would find a fantastic new album every few weeks. I haven't had this kind of excitement for a new album or albums in at least five years. I feel honored and privileged to have discovered this project, in a few years time I can easily see these two albums making my "best of all time" list... but that is a story for another time. In the interim I'm content to bask in their glory.
Written December 10th 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment