Huldre – Intet Menneskebarn (Gateway Music)
The first thing that really caught my attention on this was the bands rather spiffing logo, thankfully it is readable but the clever thing about it is the way it is constructed from branches and roots and is so (and I am sure there is a better word than this) treelike. It kind of reminded me of the Ent in Lord Of The Rings and with the artwork on the album cover itself I was definitely thinking this was going to be some sort of forest dwelling, pine scented metal. In fact it is and it isn’t, Huldre are a Danish band and are practitioners of folk metal with plenty of traditional instruments behind them. If that puts you off well fair enough but whilst a lot of folk metal can be bland and formulaic Huldre won me over from the very first spin, there is something incredibly addictive about the music on this debut album. It could be a lot to do with the catchy tunes, it could be the fact that they merge the traditional and the pounding metal rhythms together so well and it certainly is very much to do with the excellent performance from vocalist Nanna Barslev who has a gorgeous voice.
With Danish and Nordic folk music being the backbone of things here I an unfortunately lost as far as language and narrative is concerned (although have no problems with guesswork) luckily this does not hamper enjoyment of the music itself. The 11 tracks here start with Ulevinter and it is violin that leads the way. It is very gypsy like and you can easily picture a scene around a camp fire in the forest throughout the album. There are many other parts here that give things a medieval feel and we have hurdy-gurdy and flutes and pipes as well as the strings peppering the album. Melody is incredibly strong and at times comes in a flurry that is completely impetuous and practically commands you getting up on your feat and joining in. Traditional guitar licks also flail away with nice fiery dexterity and head banging is certainly on your listening agenda. Then of course there is the beguiling chant of the singer who at times adopts a yodelling style that rolls of her tongue and completely enchants. She also, as we go towards, ‘Trold’ hits the higher notes partly in an operatic fashion but not in an overbearing or pompous way, more very natural sounding.
This is not a track by track sort of album as far as reviewing is concerned but it is one to just lie back to and let the different melodies and sounds unravel over the 50 minute running time. Apparently the sextet behind the band are involved and have backgrounds in all sorts of other styles, from traditional acoustic medieval music, metal, reggae and even include involvement in the Roskilde Symphony Orchestra. I also note their violinist is a master of forestry, so they totally are the real deal! This is no doubt why for a debut album it is incredibly focused, constructed and played. It is also very original and despite listening to a lot of music in this style you will not hear me name-dropping other bands at every twist and turn and comparing Huldre to others. I could easily see them going down a storm on a bill with some German Mittelalter Metal bands though.
The band manage to keep things interesting throughout and different things stick out such as the jaunty, bouncy, flute trilling melody led Gennem Marsken, the brutal feudal furrow of Vaageblus and Spillemand, which takes the form of a manic instrumental barn dance. There is not an ounce of fat on the whole album that’s for sure. Very unlikely I am sure especially seeing as the last one missed out the UK but I reckon this lot would be a great addition to a Paganfest bill and I would love to catch Huldre live.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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