Månegarm
Vargstenen
Black Lodge
Månegarm is at their best, when they let the fiddle play beautiful epic folk-melodies over mid-tempo power riffs. When they try to speed up their folk influences, it becomes laughable humpa-humpa. Like a Finntroll minus hysterical trolls. And when they try to show their black-metal chops, it feels forced. Neither is as efficient as their epic viking metal. In fact, nothing here matches the best of their previous LP. And the acoustic songs are nice, but not on the same level as their accoustic EP. Maybe the band got bogged down in the storyline, this being a concept album with a tale to tell? Whatever the reason, the songs don't soar like they should, thus losing the interplay between the fiddle, heathen-sounding vocalists and acoustic breaks that is their power. The melodies feel generic and nothing stays after a listen. Where their previous album "Vredens tid" flowed effortlessly, "Vargstenen" falters, flails and barely seems to know what it wants. Nothing the occasional good song or moment can save.
- Hanzan